Dawn to Dusk, Ichigo and Rukia
by DreamingAvidly
Summary: These have been previously posted on my old account- well some of them Collection of IchiRuki oneshots! Ch 8: Long Awaited Reunions- 'Then she spoke the words that I had forgotten until this moment; Save the reunion for later.'
1. Pride, Prejudice and Patience

_Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach. (dang!)_

Pride, Prejudice and Patience

I awoke with a routine yawn and stretch before scrambling out of my bed. The girls' room was empty this morning, only for myself of course. Karin and Yuzu had both gone to Summer Camp for the next four weeks, and Isshin had decided that it was about time he took a vacation. I didn't mind having the room to myself, though I do love spending time with Ichigo's sisters.

Looking at the clock, I heaved a sigh. 8am on a Saturday morning. It was still pretty early, and she expected Ichigo wouldn't be up for at least another hour.

My stomach grumbled in response to such a thought, "Well… if Ichigo wants to lie in, that doesn't mean I'm going to starve."

I had a quick shower, got dressed and headed downstairs. The cupboards and fridge had been fully stocked before the family left, so as not to return to two mal-nourished teenagers I had supposed. I grabbed a bowl and poured myself a large helping of Chappy branded cereal before sitting in front of the TV and watching some Saturday morning cartoons.

At nine-thirty Ichigo still hadn't made an appearance, and I found myself reluctantly worrying. Setting my long-empty bowl in the kitchen sink, I headed upstairs and towards Ichigo's room. Knocking was a rare courtesy for me to show Ichigo, but I felt it somehow necessary this morning. There was no sound from the room, and when I knocked again there was no change from the initial silent that had met me.

I finally pushed open the door, "Ichigo?"

My eyes drifted to his bed.

Empty.

I felt my brow furrow, _Where the hell did he go off to?_

I sat in the kitchen for the best part of the morning, sipping tea and staring out the window at the rain as it poured from above, slashing the ground and setting a cold, depressing atmosphere.

Some summer this was turning out to be…

Suddenly the front door flew open.

Setting my cup on the counter, I moved to the sitting room to see that none other than Ichigo had entered. He was shivering and dripping wet.

"Have a nice sleep?"

I suddenly could feel the reiatsu. He had been out hunting hollow, how didn't I realise? The howling wind roared outside, as if to add to my guilt.

"I'm sorry, Ichigo. You should've woken me. You're soaked!"

But, despite this, Ichigo actually smiled through his chattering teeth. I continued to mutter my apologies as I darted around the ground floor, grabbing a towel and putting the kettle on to make another cup of tea. All the while, Ichigo just stood there, looking oddly more passive than usual.

Upon further notice, I saw that his face was flushed, and when I did give him the towel— my hand brushing against his skin— I felt an unhealthy heat coming from him in pulsing waves.

My eyes met his in an instant, "You don't look well, Ichigo." I began stating the obvious. He looked ready to protest, but I cut him off, "Why don't you go upstairs and get dressed while I make you some tea."

After a short pause, he nodded weakly, turned and began to climb upstairs. He moved carefully, the cold making him clumsy.

I watched with a fearful expression until he was out of sight before I went back to making tea. I was sure to put a heaped spoon of sugar in his, in the hopes of restoring some life into the guy.

The tea began to cool. The rumbling upstairs had long since stopped. I stood up from the kitchen chair and walked to the foot of the stairs, "You haven't fallen asleep on me have you, carrot top?" I was met with still silence, and this time I had no trouble in immediately marching up to his room.

Without knocking this tine, I opened the door, "Ichigo?" the tremble in my voice betrayed my worry.

"Ichigo?" I repeated, a little softer this time. I actually felt as if I might startle him if I'm to harsh. When I got no answer I moved in from the door, closing it behind me. The room was the same as I had seen it earlier that morning, except for the man-sized, shivering lump that was huddled underneath the bed-clothes.

I approached slowly and found my eyes widening at the sight of him. A thin sheet of sweat had formed across his brow, his skin chalk white, "I'm okay." He whispered weakly, though clearly he wasn't.

"Crap, Ichigo!" I cursed, placing my hand on his clammy brow. He was hot, but his shivering told me that he must feel very cold. "Don't move, I'll be right back!" I yelped as I ran downstairs. I reached the kitchen and began raiding the cupboards. A hot water bottle, aspirin, chicken soup packets. I'd make due.

I filled the water bottle with trembling hands, poured a glass of water and grabbed the box of aspirin before dashing back up to Ichigo's room. I knelt at his bedside, breathless from the worry. He didn't even open his eyes to acknowledge me, and my heart felt as if it could stop, "Ichigo?"

He twitched, then half opened his eyes, looking out under half lids. This wouldn't do. He struggled against me as I tried to pry the blankets from his hands in order to have him hug the hot water bottle. I noticed that, he was now lying in simply his boxer shorts. Usually I might have flushed, but in the intensity of the moment I just stood up and moved for his drawers, pulling out a jersey and a pair of flannel pants.

"Ichigo…" I muttered, attempting to pull him up enough to help dress him, "We need to warm you up."

He began to fight against me, though weakly. I thought about it before bowing down to his modestly and admitting that maybe, for pride's sake, he'd still want to dress himself. I felt a lump in my throat at the thought that he must have collapsed in bed before he could do it properly the first time.

Once he had pulled on the pants, in an embarrassed manner, Ichigo dropped back under the blankets, now hugging the water bottle for warmth.

I took two aspirin from the bottle, breaking them into halves and passing them to Ichigo with a glass of water. He pushed me away at first, but I was persistent, and he simply was not well enough to argue.

He swallowed the pills and as I was reading the Caution: May cause drowsinessI saw that Ichigo had closed his eyes, his breathing peaceful.

I heaved a sigh of relief, but it was short lived. I knew Ichigo was extremely unwell. Not sick enough to be dying… but still pretty bad. I spent the day running around, trying to keep the cloth on Ichigo's head cool in order to hopefully break his fever, attempting to persuade him to eat something, helping him to and from the bathroom (obviously allowing him to do his own business on his own) and fighting to retain my sanity because every time I looked at Ichigo's pale and weak form I couldn't help but want to slap myself for not waking up!

"I'm sorry." I whispered while he was asleep that night. I had already promised myself I'd stay up to keep an eye on him. I sat in the wardrobe watching Hollow reports and fighting sleep.

I lost that fight.

* * *

I woke with a start the next morning. My thoughts immediately went to Ichigo and I jumped out of the wardrobe and dashed to his bedside to check his temperature.

He was half-awake now, and had watched me cross the room. I placed my hand on his brow. He sighed at my cool hand, his head falling back against the pillow.

"How do you feel?" I asked unnecessarily.

His reply was raspy, "Fine."

I shook my head, "Stop taking me for an idiot. I think we should call the doctor…"

He immediately began to shake his head, "No…" he breathed, his weak eyes gave me a pleading look.

"You don't want a doctor?"

He shook his head again.

I didn't know what to do. I was pretty sure he may _need_ a doctor.

But then it came, "Please…"

I sighed, "Alright. No doctors. But if you don't start getting better, it's going to be out of my hands. Got it?"

He nodded sleepily, "Thanks, Rukia."

"Don't mention it…" I ran through the things I needed to know in my head, "Just nod your head if you have any of these…" I began listing symptoms.

"Fatigue?"

He nodded.

"Headache?"

Yup.

Fever… I already knew that.

"Sore throat?"

Another nod.

I also took note of the small rash I could see along his neckline and ran downstairs to the clinic. I switched on the computer and input the symptoms.

It beeped and hummed as I waited my answer.

The result made my eyes widen.

_Infectious Mononucleosis_

_Otherwise known as: The Kissing Disease_

Ichigo had the Kissing Disease?

Who the _hell_ was he kissing?!

I was shocked with my own rage. Why did I care who Ichigo was kissing? I didn't! It was his own business! I just thought he would've told me…

I didn't think…

_Shut up!_

I shook the thoughts from my head. I'd kill him later. I clicked the link for treatments.

It basically told me to continue what I had been already doing. Keep trying to break his fever, give him lots of fluids. It also advised ice cream and milkshakes for the sore throat.

Great… Ichigo gets sick from kissing girls, and as a reward he gets to be fed ice cream!

A thought suddenly entered my head. I could call Inoue! She might be able to heal Ichigo up faster. That way I'd get to kill him sooner. Everybody wins!

I pulled out my cell and dialled the number. I was received by a harsh, raspy deep voice, "Hello?"

"Ah... Hello, is Inoue there?" I wasn't sure what to do. I hoped I wasn't interrupting something, and suddenly felt awkward, "I-if she's busy, it's alright."

"Kuchiki-san?" the voice seemed to brighten a little, and I was taken aback when they said, "It's Inoue. Sorry, my voice is a little raspy… I've been sick for a while."

I gasped silently, "You're sick too?!"

"Yeah… but I'm okay. Why? Are you sick, Kuchiki-san?"

I almost growled. I snapped the phone shut. I felt something wet roll down my cheek.

Oh no! I was _not _crying! This is insane!

I grabbed the ice cream from the freezer, took a bowl and spoon and headed upstairs.

I knocked before walking in, "Ichigo?"

He groaned in response and I took that as an OK to go inside.

He was still lying in bed. He seemed a little more alert now, though still very pale and fragile looking. Lucky Bastard. I could've pounded him into next week.

I pulled a chair over to his bedside, opening the icecream bucket and scooping some into a bowl. I took a spoonful and reached for him. He shook his head, testing my patience.

"Ichigo, just take the damned ice cream!" I eventually roared.

His brow furrowed, "Go to hell, Rukia." His voice was clear and strong. I wondered how much it pained him to speak in such a tone.

"Ugh! Godammit, Ichigo! Can't you see I'm already there! Mono, Ichigo! You managed to get _Mono_! I can't even get your precious Inoue to take care of you since she obviously couldn't keep her contagious lips off you! I hope all this was worth a kiss from _her_!

I slammed the bowl on his desk before stomping out of the room, "Asshole!"

* * *

I sat in the kitchen for at least three hours before resigning myself to go back up and check on the stubborn jackass that is Kurosaki Ichigo.

I turned into the hallway only to gasp at the sight of Ichigo making his was shakily downstairs.

"Ichigo!"

I raced up to support him. Together we wobbled down the steps and I brought him into the living room, setting him on the couch. I ran upstairs and dragged down his pillow and covers. Once I had him wrapped up I decided he needed to explain himself.

"What possessed you to come downstairs? You could've fallen, Ichigo!"

He opened his eyes as much as I believed possible, swallowing hard before replying weakly, "I'm sorry…"

I heaved a sigh, "It's fine…"

He shook his head, "No… it's not."

I looked back at him and saw that he had his hand held out, gesturing me to come over. I obliged, kneeling down beside him, he attempted to explain, "You see… my mom used to be the one to take care of me… whenever I was sick…"

He coughed, clearing his throat, and continued in a low but steady voice, "After she went away… I stopped letting people know when I was feeling crappy, weak… sick…"

I wanted to tell him it was alright, but he went on, "Since you came along, I've only started getting used to letting myself relax. I wasn't… prepared for you to be so nice to me when I got sick. I kinda… it just felt like…"

I patted his hand, a small smile there to reassure him, "It's okay, Ichigo. I should've realised."

"I'm sorry…"

I ran my hand through his hair without thinking about it, "Don't be. Just get some rest, Okay?"

I stood up and went to the kitchen.

My cellphone was vibrating against the counter, a new message.

I flipped it open and read:

**From:**Ishida

**Subject:**How are you?

**Text**:_Kuchiki-san, I was just writing to ask if you and Kurosaki were okay._

_I recently got a bad case of mono. (Please don't ask)_

_Is Kurosaki alright? I think I remember him drinking from my water bottle at training the other day. Hope you guys are alright._

_Ishida_

My mouth dropped. Ichigo hadn't been kissing Inoue? He got this from some stupid bottle of water!

"Yes!" I cheered quietly.

I then felt guilty for what I said before.

I walked back to him. Sitting myself in the chair opposite where he lay.

He was watching me while I fidgeted.

"Rukia?"

My head snapped up, "Y-yes?"

He smiled. He actually smiled! I was drawn to that smile, and now I found myself kneeling beside him again, "What you said before… about Inoue and I… I just want you to know; I'm not like that."

I was stumped, "W-what do you…?"

His smile didn't falter, "I mean… that I wouldn't throw away moments like _this_," he gestured between himself and me, "For _anything_, Let alone a kiss from Inoue."

My brow furrowed, I really didn't understand.

Ichigo heaved a raspy sigh, "You don't seem to see how beautiful you are. How _important_ you are… to me."

A gasp escaped my lips and I swore I was ready to cry.

I felt his warm hand reach up and touch my cheek, "I don't just feel an attraction for you, Rukia. I feel something much more… and I don't know if you feel it for me… but I _need _you."

"Ichigo…"

He smiled that crooked smile once more, and spoke the last three words I ever expected to hear from him, but that made my heart swell, "I love you, Rukia."

I was definitely crying now, "I love you too."

His smile, despite any mono, turned into a full grin as he wiped away the stray tears from my cheeks, "Under normal circumstances, this would be where I'd take you in my arms and kiss you senseless."

I smiled down at him, placing a gentle kiss on his forehead, "Some things are worth the wait."

* * *

**A/N: **_Hope that was good enough for all you IchiRuki fans out there!_

_Loved writing this! First IchiRuki Fic! Woot Woot! Please review!_


	2. IM: Ichigo's Message

**A/N:** _Well, this has turned into a collaboration as I've said in my reviews!_

_Some of you guys have already read these fics though. That said I plan to write some new ones now that I have my account pretty much sorted. Just a few more fics to post up and I'll be back to normality! (Well... as normal as it gets when I'm involved.)_

_Thanks for your reviews to Pride, Prejudice and Patience, I was really happy reading them!  
Enjoy this and the other edited fics I have to follow ^^_

_Oh, and please review if you don't mind =]  
Kami_

* * *

IM: Ichigo's Message

"Rukia?"

Said girl, sitting on the floor, glanced up from her book, looking the orange-haired boy in the eye, acknowledging that she had actually heard his call. So the boy continued, "What's your number?"

He had been lying on his bed, messing with his new phone for the past thirty minutes. Normally Rukia would have eaten him alive for the constant _beeping _that the device was emitting as he pushed random buttons to see what they did, but he just seemed so animated with the new contraption that she hadn't really found it in her heart to slap him upside the head...

Yet.

"My number?" The question had caught her off guard. Ichigo watched as she rested her head on her hand in a thoughtful manner. She knew what a phone number was, but that wasn't to say that she actually had one, "Well... Ichigo. I don't have one."

Ichigo raised an eyebrow, "But... your phone?"

"It's called a Soul-pager for a reason, Ichigo," she stated matter-of-factly, smirking and smirking, "It's specially from soul society, it's connected to my spirit energy so... no numbers needed."

Ichigo's lips formed the shape of an 'o', before he shrugged and returned to his new phone, pushing buttons at random yet again.

_Beep beep beep._

That was new.

Rukia cocked her head to see Ichigo staring curiously at the device in his palm, "Hmm, Inoue sent me a text message." Rukia watched as Ichigo read the message on his phone, smirking on occasion, before he began to send a reply.

_Beep beep beep._

Another one?

"Inoue again?" Rukia questioned from the floor, her voice masking any interest she may have in his answer.

Ichigo nodded, not looking at the raven-haired girl. Rukia tried to turn her focus back to her book, but before long...

_Beep beep beep_

Giving up, she let out an aggravated sigh and jumped up from the floor, "I'm going to bed!"

Ichigo watched her storm out of the room, "Ok... goodni-"

She had already slammed the door shut.

_Stupid Ichigo and his stupid phone, _she thought as she peered at her soul-pager from underneath the quilts. Karin and Yuzu slept soundly in their beds. Rukia peeped out from her covers; _I should just... get some...sleep._ She placed the soul-pager into the front pocket of her pyjamas and rested her head back on her pillow. She had just closed her eyes when the device began to buzz, _An order? This late?_

She flipped open the phone watching as the screen illuminated. She immediately noticed the format of the order to be all wrong, and furrowed her brow as she waited for the message to decode itself. Her eyes widened as she began to read.

Ichigo: Hey.

She looked at it for a few moments curiously, before eventually deciding to try a reply.

Rukia: Ichigo? How are you contacting me?

Ichigo: Well... I figured your soul-pager was connected to your spirit energy, and since finding your reiatsu is part of my speciality, I figured it wouldn't be too hard to work out. Guess I was right.

Rukia: Apparently.

Rukia had to admit, she was flattered that her friend would go to all the trouble of searching for her spirit energy, just so he could 'text' her.

There was a pause before Ichigo text her again.

Ichigo: So... you gonna tell me why you stomped out of my room earlier?

Rukia bit her lip.

Rukia: It was nothing I was just tired.

Ichigo: Yeah right!

Rukia: Well what do YOU think was wrong?

Ichigo: I dunno. If I did would I be asking?

Rukia: Guess not.

Rukia felt a little silly as she was actually waiting for Ichigo to reply to her last message.

Ichigo: Tell me.

Rukia: 'Please' wouldn't go too far y'know.

...

Ichigo: Please?

Rukia sighed before deciding to reply.

Rukia: You still texting Inoue?

Ichigo: No, why?

...

Ichigo: Is that what's bothering you?

Rukia: No!

Ichigo: Really?

Rukia: Is something going on between you two?

Ichigo: No! Why? Does she like me?

Rukia: Nooooo... (Sarcasm) Are you really that blind?

Ichigo: Heh... well. The thing is I kinda have my eye on somebody else.

She suddenly felt her stomach twist.

Rukia: Really? Who?

Ichigo: Guess.

For the next ten minutes Rukia sent text after text, name after name only for Ichigo to reply 'nope' to each of them.

Rukia: Ugh! I give up! Who?

Ichigo: Well you've guessed about everybody BUT the girl I'm thinking about. I gotta get some sleep now, but keep thinking and ask me again tomorrow night ok?

Rukia:... fine

Ichigo: Pfft! You're never satisfied!

Rukia: Night Ichigo.

Ichigo: Night babe. Xx

Rukia read the last message over and over again, a crimson blush staining her cheeks, _What the heck? BABE?! _She shook her head, closing her eyes and getting ready to sleep. _Stupid Ichigo… what an idiot…_

Then it hit her...

Could he have been talking about _her?!_


	3. It's Magic

It's Magic

_You've got magic inside your finger tips,  
It's leaking out all over my skin,  
Everytime that I get close to you,  
Your makin me weak with the way you,  
Look through those eyes._

Rukia sighed with overwhelming boredom as she gazed around Ichigo's bedroom. She cast an accusing stare at Ichigo, sitting across from her doing his homework. Despite his supposed attention to his work, he could feel the look he was receiving. He placed down the book, gaze focused on Rukia as she yawned.

"This is _your_ fault." she stated in an agitated tone.

He rolled his eyes, leaning back in the chair, "How is _your_ boredom _my_ fault?"

She rested her head on her hands, stating matter-of-factly, "Because _everything_ is your fault."

The orange-haired boy heaved a sigh, "Why don't you go hang out with some of your other friends?"

Rukia shook her head sadly, "They're all away for the weekend. You're the only one left... and you're doing _homework!_" she sounded appalled towards the end of the sentence, causing Ichigo to stifle a chuckle.

He looked around the room. There wasn't really anything _to _do other than homework this early in the morning. He couldn't go swimming. The gashes across his back from their last Hollow encounter had made that an impossibility. His entire torso being bandaged... yeah, that would most likely cause some stir of rumours. That, and Rukia had him on strict bed-rest until they healed up a little more. _Wait..._

"Are you honestly blaming _me_ for _you_ putting me on house arrest?!"

She looked at him, wide eyed in outrage, "It is _not _'house arrest'! You can't go gallivanting around with your back split open! It's common sense!"

He scoffed, "Then... seeing as how _you're_ the one with all the common sense and bright ideas; shouldn't it be _your_ fault you're so bored?"

Speechlessness hit her like a tonne of bricks. She had no comeback. No yell. No swearwords prepared for such an event where Ichigo might in fact catch her out, _Damn..._

He shook his head, laughing silently, "Alright then. What do you want me to do?"

"That's a dangerous question to be asking." she warned.

Without second thought he backtracked, "Alright... what do _you_ want to do?"

She sighed, "If I knew _that_, I wouldn't be bored now, would I?" she folded her arms across her chest as if to only further prove her point.

The orange-haired boy rolled his eyes at her response. Without another word he stood up, walking over to his closet. Rukia eyed him curiously, but didn't question his actions... until he placed a deck of cards down on the floor. The girl gave him a confused look, "Ahh..."

"Pick a card." he said, spreading the deck out, all cards face down, "Don't show me the card you've chosen. Just memorize it and then put it back."

"What kind of trick is this, Kurosaki?" she asked suspiciously, but the only response was Ichigo shaking his hands in impatience. Rukia went to pick out one of the cards hesitantly. When she snatched it up she made sure not to let Ichigo see as she peered at it herself.

"Ready?"

She nodded.

"Ok, put it back." he held the deck up for Rukia to place the card back in the middle of the deck. She looked extremely confused as he handed her the deck, "Shuffle please."

Rukia nodded slowly, shuffling the cards carefully. She handed back the deck to a waiting Ichigo who took them quickly and immediately began flicking through them. He suddenly stopped, pulling one particular card from the pile, "This your card?" he held in his hand the three of clubs. Rukia gasped, "W-what?! How did you do that?!" she eyes him suspiciously, "Did you use some kinda Kidou?"

Ichigo rolled his eyes, "No."

"Then what?"

He shrugged, "It's magic."

Her eyes widened at the word as she repeated it to herself. She looked around; as if this was something no one else could hear about— a new secret only she could know. Ichigo smirked at just how much like a child she looked. He had forgotten just how much he enjoyed teaching her new things, as it was becoming more and more difficult the longer she stayed in the real world. She looked back at him with her big violet eyes, "Show me more."she whispered secretly.

The corners of his lips quirked as he nodded, "Alright."

Ichigo walked back over to the closet, this time Rukia accompanied him. He pulled out a box that read _101 Amazing Illusions of Magic!_ Ichigo saw her from the corner of his eye and silently turned her away. After a minute he returned to where he had been sitting, holding in his hand one blue ball, "Hold out your hand." he instructed. Feeling confident about this now, Rukia did as requested, holding her hand palm up to Ichigo. He placed the ball into her waiting hand, closing her small fingers around it.

"Keep your hand closed tight, Okay?"

She nodded, eyeing her fist with anticipation. Ichigo looked around before continuing, "Now, say the magic words; _Alakazam_. You gotta mean them though."

Rukia looked suspicious again, just for a second. Then, swallowing her pride, she erupted, "ALAKAZAM!"

She then opened her hand. No change. Rukia looked over to see Ichigo burst into a fit of laughter.

"You tricked me!" she shouted in outrage, her face flushed with embarrassment.

Ichigo made to wipe a tear from his eye, "Sorry... I just had to see if you would do it."

Rukia glared darkly at him, but he still grinned, "Ok, Rukia. Close you're hand again. Alright? Good." He tapped her fist with his finger, "There."

Rukia opened her hand again. But this time, "The ball's gone!" she gasped, "But I had it just a second ago!" she looked around her, turning back to Ichigo then, "I'm sorry, I think I lost—"

She was now facing the ball. It was in Ichigo's hand, "How the hell..."

He sighed lightly, "Wanna see another? Or are you bored of this now?"

She eyed him as if he was nuts, "I wanna see another!"

One hour and fifty tricks later, Rukia now believed she could be a magician herself.

"Ichigo!" she moaned from her spot on the floor, "I think these are broken." She held up the two silver rings that she had been attempting to join for the last ten minutes. Ichigo scoffed, "They're not broken." he took the rings, tapped them together and handed them back to her, now stuck together. She stared in fascination.

Rukia took the rings back, and continued trying, "Hey Ichigo..." she spoke after a while.

He looked up from his nearly finished homework, "Yeah?"

"How do you know this stuff?"

It was a simple question, but he hadn't been expecting it. Ichigo placed the book back down, heaving a sigh. Rukia then knew, it had been a careless question to ask. "Back, after my mom died, Karin and Yuzu were miserable. They cried almost everyday, and nothing seemed to be able to get them to stop. You know, that I still feel guilty for the whole thing..." his voice was hushed now.

Rukia listened to him tentatively, "After a while, I decided to try to help them. So I learned these tricks." he smirked at the memory, "Karin was always the one who remained suspicious of what I was doing. Yuzu just loved the idea that someone in the family could do magic. But they both loved it. Everyday I'd show them a new trick. And everyday they both would focus on it and trying to learn it for hours, just to get it right. It kept their minds off all the bad things and, for a while, they would be laughing and playing. Just like when mom was alive."

Rukia looked at him, speechless, "Ichigo..."

He smiled, "It was worth the hours of practice, I can assure you."

She gave a small laugh, "You really aren't as tough as you pretend to be."

He smirked, "I don't pretend to be anything."

Rukia stood up and walked towards Ichigo. She bent down, now eye to eye with him; she held his gaze as she spoke, "I know," she said, her voice cheerful, "That's what I love about you." At that she bent down to kiss him on the cheek, "Thanks for showing me magic, Ichigo."

Then, she left.

He sat there for a few moments. Shock working through him.

_That's what I love about you._

He touched his cheek, looking down at the box of tricks.

_Definitely worth the hours of practice!_

* * *

**A/N: **_Thanks to - 'Magic' by Colbie Caillat for my opening note._


	4. Promise of Protection

A Promise Of Protection

_I will never let you fall,  
I'll stand up with you forever,  
I'll be there for you through it all,  
Even if saving you sends me to heaven._

Ichigo climbed through the bedroom window, collapsing on his bed without even returning to his body. Rukia landed silently on the bedroom floor after him, stealing a glance at her partner.

He was exhausted.

They had been fighting Hollows all night, non-stop, Hollow after Hollow, for the past nine hours. By the time they had finished dawn was illuminating Karakura town. It was now around seven in the morning and Ichigo had his face buried in his pillow, sleeping soundly.

Kon appeared at the door, disguised in Ichigo's body. He was dressed, ready for school. He made a face at the snoozing Ichigo before turning to Rukia, "Nee-san!" he called, but was quickly silenced by Rukia's shushing. He explained that Isshin had awoken him earlier than usual, when he saw Rukia's curious look. The mod-soul glanced at Ichigo's sleeping form, "Yeesh... how many?" Kon sounded serious, a surprising change.

Rukia sighed, "Over three hundred, easy. They weren't too tough," she watched Ichigo snoring with a smile, "But lets just say it's been a long night."

Kon nodded, "Is he going to be able to attend school?"

She shook her head, "I doubt it. He's exhausted. Could you...?" she trailed off at the smile appearing on Kon's face.

"Of course Nee-san! Anything for you! I would simply be honoured, no, delighted to venture into the domain of luscious bosoms that is Karakura High! Ladies! I, _Ichigo Kurosaki, _am at your disposal!" he made his way to the window, still proclaiming his love of breasts when Rukia stopped him.

"Kon! If we have to alter our friends' memories _again _tonight, so help me _God_, I'll—"

Ichigo began to stir, causing Rukia to wince, lowering her voice from a near yell to a threatening whisper. She sighed, "Just... don't cause and trouble. At least, not today."

Kon groaned, but agreed, hopping out the window and off to Karakura High. Rukia watched until he was out of sight. She smiled faintly. Kon may be a perv, but he was good at taking notes while in class.

She looked to Ichigo again. Since stirring earlier, he had returned to his deep sleep. His usual scowl was replaced by a peaceful look as he slept. She shook her head, smiling at the sight.

_He really does look like a child._

Since meeting him, that night, she had to admit she had been distracted by his overwhelming reiatsu, his incredible strength...

She had forgotten...

...He's just a kid.

Not alive long enough yet to say he has _lived_. But he has a heart, warm and big enough to have survived the longest of time— although, he does well to hide it with his prominent scowl and brush-off attitude— but that's just a front. An image...

It was times like these...

...He made her feel old.

She laughed quietly to herself, _I must be going mad_. She slipped out of the room and headed downstairs to the kitchen.

Karin and Yuzu had gone off to school, and Isshin was probably working in the clinic as the kitchen was empty except for herself. She grabbed a bowl of cereal, eating it savouringly before making her way back upstairs, hoping to get some sleep of her own in, as she was beginning to envy Ichigo.

Half way up, it happened.

_Beep beep beep!_

She moaned, "What now?!" she pulled the soul pager from her pocket. An order flashed on the screen. A Hollow was to appear in Karakura in five minutes. She and Ichigo had been ordered to take care of it. The orders were a little uncertain, but they stated that the Hollow would be no higher than level 3.

Rukia heaved a sigh, there was no preventing it. She slumped towards Ichigo's room, squeaking open the door and waling over to where Ichigo still slept soundly.

She reached out to nudge him, but stopped.

He had fought his _ass _off earlier. He needed some rest. From the sounds of it this Hollow wasn't too tough anyway. She quickly hopped out the window, landing on the pavement and heading west. Ichigo would undoubtedly be mad if she was gone when he woke up, but she expected to be back long before he found out where she had been.

She would finish it quickly, and get to finally relax.

Once out of her gigai, she used shunpo to arrive at the location given in the orders. She wound up in a secluded woods.

And just in time.

She witnessed the Hollow appear out of the sky, landing on the ground heavily. The sheer force uprooted many long standing trees, sending branches and earth flying in all directions. Rukia watched as it's snake like body coiled around itself as it sat, curled up, glaring at her.

The first thing Rukia noticed were the two sharp claws it possessed, and she made a mental note to try to avoid those. She also noticed...

That this Hollow was no mere level 3...

It quickly tunnelled underground, snatching her immediate attention. It popped out under her feet, thrusting her into the air as one of its fangs cut across her leg. She let out a pained cry as she fell towards the ground. Rukia landed awkwardly, but a safe distance from the monster. She inspected the wound which had already begun to bleed steadily, _Dammit!_

When the Hollow disappeared again, tunnelling underground as before, Rukia stayed alert. As it appeared in front of her, she believed she had a clear shot at the mask, which she took.

But she was wrong.

The Hollow had anticipated her movements, and its reappearance had been nothing more than a lure. As Rukia went for the mask, she had left herself open for a full on slash from the Hollow's tail.

She smacked into the ground, with a pained groan.

From the corner of her eye, she saw the Hollow advancing.

She was done for.

* * *

Ichigo awoke with a start. He couldn't place what exactly had woken him but he didn't feel able to return to sleep. He noticed he was not in his body, _Heh, I must've dozed off without looking for Kon...'_

He sat up lazily, "Rukia?"

She wasn't there.

He wasn't worried. That was until he went to look in his sister's room to find it too was empty.

He marched downstairs, "Rukia!" he called, "You here?"

Silence met his calls.

Suddenly, he felt a spike in reiatsu. Ichigo could've sworn it had been Rukia's. He cursed to himself, "She didn't..."

He quickly ran out of the house, using shunpo to reach the large mass of reiatsu as quickly as possible; _Please... don't have done what I think you did! Please don't have been so stupid!_

Another spike in reiatsu," Dammit!"

When he reached his destination, he immediately felt his blood boil. A snake-like Hollow had Rukia curled up in its tail, and was doing its best to crush her in its coil.

"Rukia!"

The Hollow noticed Ichigo. It squeezed Rukia tighter, causing her to cry out in agony. His feet left the ground. Before even the Hollow had noticed Ichigo had snatched Zangetsu, slashing through its enormous tail. The Hollow roared angrily. The grasp on Rukia loosened against its control and she felt herself falling. She was caught in a pair of strong arms, and when she felt able to open her eyes she was met with a pair of furious brown ones, "Ichigo..."

He said nothing. Ichigo felt a mixture of emotions; anger, relief, impatience... but mostly anger. He placed her gently on the ground before lunging at the Hollow. He used flash step to confuse the monster, and when he felt it had worked he put an end to the creature, digging his blade into its mask.

It vanished with an ear piercing cry, but Ichigo didn't notice. He had returned to Rukia's side. He didn't look her in the eye, although he could tell she was trying to grasp his attention with her gaze. He was angry... no _furious_. Furious that she would risk herself so easily. That she would go off into battle without even telling him.

And now she was hurt.

He picked her up, wrapping one arm around her shoulders and the other under her knees. He used shunpo to quickly return to his house. He hopped through the open window, landing in his bedroom. He lay Rukia down on his bed. Her eyes followed him across the room as he pulled a first aid kit from the desk drawer.

He kneeled at the bedside, getting down to immediately cleaning Rukia's wounds. He still hadn't looked her in the eye. He was afraid that he might explode at her for her stupidity. He began dressing the gash on her leg when she spoke, "Ichigo..."

He didn't look at her, but something in his features told her he was listening, "I'm sorry..."

Ichigo still stayed quiet, and she decided to try again, "I'm sorry for not telling you. I shouldn't have gone off without letting you know. It was foolish... and I'm sorry... I'm so, so sorry..."

He sighed weakly, looking up from her wound and gazing into her eyes. She quietly gasped at the emotions she could see; fear, worry, anger, relief... and something she didn't immediately recognise.

"What possessed you to do something this stupid?" he moved closer, pinning her with his stare, "Why would you even _think_ not to tell me about a Hollow, let alone go off on your own?!"

Rukia bit her lip, tearing her eyes from his gaze, "I... you were asleep... I didn't want to wake you..."

She felt the tension lifting; now they were just in an awkward silence. Rukia struggled to figure out which was worse. Ichigo let out a sigh of desperation, "Rukia..."

She looked back into his eyes. They looked... hurt. She cursed herself for causing Ichigo pain. He then took her hand gently, clasping it in his own. Her eyes widened as he held her gaze carefully, as if he might break her by looking away, "Rukia, don't _ever_ do that again! Even if I'm wounded, exhausted, bloodied... _anything_! I will _always_ be there to protect you."

"You… you don't have to make promises like that, Ichigo." She assured, trying to hide the pink tinge on her cheeks.

He lifted a hand, brushing away the stray strands of hair that covered her face as he brought her gaze back to his own, "I want to."

A tear slid down her cheek, and Ichigo couldn't hold himself back anymore. He held her in his arms as their lips met in slow, soft kiss that they only wished could have lasted longer. When they pulled away Rukia leaned her head against his chest, "Thank you... Ichigo."

He chuckled softly, "Don't thank me, idiot."

* * *

**A/N: **_Thanks to The Red Jumpsuit Apparatus' - Guardian Angel for my opening note.  
Yet another song I love sharing with y'all!_

By the way- I own nothing here (except my fanfic).


	5. Comatose

Comatose

Rukia felt her own heart race against the steady beeping of the monitor perched close by. She could see a thin wire, leading from the noisy machine, to the occupied bed. It was connected to the chest of the bed's inhabitant.

"Ichigo..." her voice echoed quietly in the hospital room. She ran a hand through his matted hair. He looked uncomfortable, to say the least. Numerous tubes were hooked up from him to different bags of liquids. Rukia guessed that the liquids were some kind of pain relievers and medicines of various sorts. But there was only one bag that's contents Rukia truly recognised.

Blood.

"_He's lost a lot of blood!" _That's what one of the nurses had said. Right before they ran with Ichigo, into a room where she could not follow.

She had been walking back from Tatsuki's. Earlier that morning the two had argued, resulting in her leaving the house for a while to cool down. She had stayed at her friend's house for most of the day, bitching about how stupid Ichigo tended to be.

_Isshin suddenly pulled up in his car. His tyres screeched as the vehicle stopped right beside the bewildered Rukia._

_He pushed open the door of the passenger side and, without hesitation, Rukia sat in. He pulled away from the curb, now driving a little too fast for Rukia's liking. She heard a sob behind her and turned to see a teary Yuzu being comforted by her brave-faced sister. Karin gave Rukia a solemn look._

_What's happening?_

_She was about to ask something when the car came to an abrupt halt; right outside Karakura General Hospital. They all got out of the car quietly__— apart from Yuzu who was still sobbing uncontrollably.__ Rukia looked to the front entrance of the building to see an ambulance pulling up, sirens blaring. Numerous paramedics poured from the vehicle, pulling a stretcher out with them. She was about to turn back to Isshin when..._

_Did that kid have __**orange**__ hair?!_

'Ichigo...' _Rukia_ _followed close as Isshin, Karin and Yuzu all ran towards the main entrance. Once inside Karin froze at the sight, grabbing Yuzu and shielding her eyes from the scene before them. Rukia glanced up from the girls to the boy on the cart. She felt her heart make a sudden attempt to leap from her chest._

_In a bloodied mess, surrounded by doctors..._

_Lay Ichigo._

"_Ichigo!" she went to run towards him, but was pulled back by Isshin. She glanced from father to son, words failing her. She knew not what to say... so she listened._

"_16 year old male."_

"_Gunshot wound to the chest."_

"_Suspected he suffered a punctured lung."_

"_Went into cardiac arrest on route here. We brought him back, but his pulse is dangerously low."_

"_He's lost a lot of blood..."_

"_He's lost too much blood!"_

"_Prep him for immediate surgery!"_

"_Pulse is fading!"_

_The doors opened, then slammed shut and the talking stopped. Rukia slowly opened her eyes, unable to do anything but blink, "Ichigo..."_

_They had been sent to the waiting room after that. They all sat in silence for what seemed like an eternity. Waiting for news_._ Good __or__ bad at this stage._

_She couldn't place when, but at some stage she had moved, because the blood immediately rushed to her leg. Rukia clenched her eyes shut, 'Ow...' She suddenly felt a little calmer. Like a wave of fear had been pushed away. She thought about it. _

_She only felt like this around Ichigo's reiatsu..._

_She shuddered at the thought of Ichigo, lying on a table somewhere while people felt around his insides. She didn't quite know what went on during operations, but she had seen movies... Sure, they had been horrors, but still._

_She would have to ask Ichigo about them. If he made it..._

_She mentally kicked herself for doubting her friend. Looking up from the ground, she noticed Yuzu sitting in the corner, sobbing quietly; making sure not to disturb anyone else. Rukia couldn't understand how her little body could hold so much water as her eyes seemed to stream tears. She stood up; crossing the room and kneeling down before the young Kurosaki girl, "Yuzu..." she spoke softly as the girl looked up at her._

_Rukia placed a hand on her shoulder, "He's going to be fine. Believe that he's going to be fine."_

_A little surprised by her words, Yuzu nodded, sniffling as she dimmed her sobs. Rukia pulled the girl over, comforting her, "He'll be fine..." she continued to reassure._

_But did she believe her own words?_

_Not long after, a nurse walked in, telling them that Ichigo was out of surgery, but that they were still unsure of his condition._

_She had said to remain hopeful._

_Rukia had sat outside his room. Isshin brought the girls in to see their brother, but Rukia felt a little out of place when surrounded by his family. Isshin had come out suddenly, ushering her in. He spoke words to her that she'd never forget, "You're just as much a part of this family as we are. And definitely just as important to Ichigo"_

_She was dazed. She never really __belonged__ to a family. Her brother was important to her, but she never felt like being a Kuchiki was anything more than a name. She hesitated upon walking in, inhaling sharply at the sight. He lay on the bed, unmoving, unconscious. His chest was wrapped up and a bandage was wrapped around his forehead. She did not cry. She wouldn't, not while Yuzu was in the room,_ 'Ichigo...'_ she thought quietly, '_ you gave me this family. Don't you dare leave it!'

_Since then Renji had come around. He tried to lighten up the mood, "Heh, nice room anyway! I wouldn't mind it. Having people there for my every whim."_

_Rukia had not spoken. Her eyes never left Ichigo. But she had yet to actually approach the bed. Since entering his room she had sat on the chair in the corner. Not venturing any closer._

_Inoue had come in. Rukia barely looked up to see the girl in a fit of sobbing. Her whole body shook violently._

'He's going to be fine... he's going to be fine...' _she repeated the phrase over and over in her mind, hoping she could wish him better._

_Inoue had stayed for a couple of hours, just sobbing at his bedside. Rukia had yet to shed a single tear._

_Ishida came along with Chad. While Ishida tore a bawling Inoue from Ichigo's side, Chad was mimicking Rukia, not daring to get too close to Ichigo. It just didn't seem real. Ichigo was always the strong type. To see him in this weak state was... unbelievable, unimaginable._

"_I'm sorry, Chad." she whispered, still looking at Ichigo._

_The young man placed his hand on Rukia's shoulder, "He'll be fine." he stated calmly, before walking out._

_Ichigo's family stayed there a little longer, until Yuzu let out a yawn of exhaustion._

"_I should take you kids home." Isshin said. He turned to Rukia, "Do you mind watching over him?"_

_Stunned by his sudden responsibility that Ichigo's father placed with her, Rukia nodded quickly, "Of course."_

_Isshin smiled gently, "Could you sit with him?" she looked up in shock. It was by far the last thing she wanted to do. But she couldn't refuse, not at a time like this. She nodded yes. _

_He smiled, taking his girls out of the room and closing the door behind him. Leaving Rukia there. Alone with Ichigo for the first time since she had entered the room. _

The raven-haired girl buried her face in her hands. That had been two hours ago. Ichigo had been out of surgery for over twenty hours now, and he still hadn't moved.

She was beginning to lose hope.

She glanced over at the chart at the end of the bed. She had seen nurses walk in; write notes on the little clipboard, then walk out. She wanted to ask what it was, but figured that the nurses would only give her strange glances for the question. She wanted to go over and look at the chart, but she figured odds are she wouldn't understand a single word of it. And the person she usually goes to for explanations was temporarily out of commission.

The raven-haired girl never noticed Kurosaki Isshin walk in, and she jumped when he spoke, "Ah, Rukia-chan..."

"Kurosaki-san, my apologies! I'll leave you alone with your son."

She made to stand, but he stopped her, "No, please. It's quite alright," he walked over to inspect his son's charts, "Ah, apparently he's been responding slightly to voices, " he sighed, "but still no positives on whether or not he'll be waking anytime soon." he continued to scan the chart.

"Kurosaki-san," Rukia spoke quietly, but he had heard her and nodded her to continue, "It's bad... isn't it?"

The man sighed, fixing his white coat. It was only then that Rukia noticed he was clad in his doctor's attire, "Well, Rukia-chan. Do you want me to answer as a doctor, or as this boy's father? Because, as a doctor I'd be inclined to tell you that it most certainly does not look good. That he's out of serious surgery almost twenty one hours and still no reported major changes. That his pulse is still dangerously weak and he's definitely paling a little."

Rukia felt her heart sink, unable to respond to what she had just heard. Isshin rested Ichigo's charts back in their slot. He continued, "But, as Ichigo's father, I can say that I firmly believe my son has every chance of pulling through. He's as strong as they get," he gave Rukia a small wink, lowering his voice, "And we _both_ know he's been through worse."

Rukia looked up at Isshin wide-eyed, "Wh-what...?"

He smiled, making his way to the door, "I've taken Karin and Yuzu home so they could rest. I want to stay, but Ichigo would understand that I can't leave the girls alone at a time like this. Heh, if I did he'd be the first one to kill me for it!"

Rukia nodded, smiling faintly.

"Do you want a ride home, Rukia-chan?"

She didn't know what to say. Isshin continued, "You look like you could use some sleep."

She bowed her head, "Thank you for your concern. But, if it's alright, I'd like to stay with Ichigo."

Isshin nodded in understanding, "Then, as his doctor, I give you full permission," he opened the door, turning back before he left, "Rukia... try talking to him. Because, if you read his charts, you'll find that the voice he has been responding to the most… is yours." At that he left.

Rukia stared at the unconscious Ichigo, _He responds to __**me**__?!_

Another two hours had passed by and Rukia felt ready to collapse with exhaustion, but she wouldn't give in to sleep. She glanced at her watch. There was still no movement from Ichigo. Rukia sighed, leaning back in her chair.

She could handle him being cut by blades, beaten by Hollows, bloodied by _real_ enemies.

But this...

He had not been fighting when this occurred. He had been walking back from town alone, when a lunatic jumped out from nowhere demanding his money. There had been a struggle, and Ichigo was shot.

He had been wounded while in his body. Not as a Shinigami. But a sixteen-year-old, everyday boy...

Then the tears came.

But they didn't last long. She wouldn't let them, _Get a grip Kuchiki!_

_Try taking to him..._

She cleared her throat, "Ah... Ichigo..."

She mentally kicked herself, _He can't hear you! He's in a freakin' coma! _She clenched her eyes shut, ignoring whatever her brain was telling her.

"Ichigo..." she started again. What was she supposed to say?

She thought about it. What he might say if their situations were reversed. She almost smiled at the mental image she received. She looked back at the unconscious Ichigo.

"You are _really _crappy company, y'know that." when she spoke, her voice was harsh.

She was angry? At what? Before she could figure it out, she found herself talking again, "Goddammit, Ichigo! Why did you have to go off on your own? Are you just the _dumbest_ boy in the history of the world or what?! You could have asked me to go downtown with you! God! Why didn't you just—"

She cut off, remembering what had happened that morning. How they had argued. A fight that had gotten blown way out of proportion. She ended up stomping out of the house in rage. That was when Rukia had gone to Taksuki's, leaving Ichigo at home.

She clasped her hand over her mouth, _This is __my__ fault!_

She could feel her insides shredding with guilt. A tear rolled down her cheek, "This is _all_ my fault," she whispered, "If I had just apologized, instead of..." Ichigo didn't move, but she found herself unable to look at him, "Ichigo... I'm so sorry..."

She quickly wiped away her tears. If her brother saw her crying like this he'd be disgusted. She reluctantly looked back at Ichigo. He didn't look different. He didn't respond to her. She just apologized to him and he didn't even budge! She found herself becoming frustrated, "Kurosaki Ichigo, this has gone on long enough! I _know_ you are strong enough to come out of this, so beat it already! Wake up and stop worrying everyone!"

Still no response.

"Don't you _dare _die Ichigo!" she spoke threateningly now, "Because if I have to send on your soul... so help me _God_, I'll have you pop up right in front of Kenpachi Zaraki!"

She furrowed her brow. Did he just flinch? Shudder? Or was she now going mad?

She had sat there in a huff for a while. He didn't move an inch. She sighed, "Ichigo... I know you. I know too much about you and you know too much about me to just leave like this. Ichigo... please don't die... I don't know what would happen to me if..." she trailed off, clenching her eyes shut, "I _need_ you not to die."

She was quiet, thinking. She suddenly laughed a little, "Remember the night we met? Heh, you thought I was a burglar..." She felt her eyes welling up with fresh tears, "Ichigo you must wake up, you just have to! There's still so much about this world I have yet to ask you about. So much I still need you to show me!"

The numb feeling was the first thing to go, followed by a throbbing headache. Ichigo slowly opened his eyes, _Where am I? _He glanced around the hospital room. His head was killing him. His eyes fell on Rukia, and when he realised he had caught her mid-rant, his headache suddenly became understandable. The girl was so caught up in her own mouthing; she hadn't even noticed him wake. And her speech wasn't over yet...

"So many places you've still got to take me to, so many foods you still have to force me to eat, so many cultures, so many people, so many things you still need to introduce me to...

Ichigo furrowed his brow, "Why the hell do you need _me_ to help you with that stuff?"

"Because I love you, you idiot!" she snapped, still not looking at him.

Ichigo looked at her, stunned. Rukia's eyes suddenly widened as realisation dawned on her, "Ichigo!" she gasped. He watched Rukia's features suddenly change as she remembered what she had just said. Her cheeks flushed a bright crimson, "Ichigo, I..."

He shushed her, earning a stunned stare from the girl, "Now is not the time to talk about it." he spoke sternly.

Rukia suddenly looked away, embarrassed, unsure of what to feel. Ichigo reached his hand out and took Rukia's in his own, to her immense surprise he continued, "But..." he continued softly, "If it _were_ the right time... I'd say that I've loved you longer."

Her eyes widened in some foreign emotion as he gently pulled her closer. She obliged, leaning across the bed as he brought her lips to his. She became lost in the moment he had just created, in his kiss, in his love…

_Thank you, Ichigo... thank you for not leaving me."_

The next morning Tatsuki and Inoue arrived at the hospital with a card, signed by their class. Inoue had bought flowers to brighten up Ichigo's room.

When they opened the door they were met with a surprise. Ichigo lay in the hospital bed with Rukia curled up beside him. His arms wrapped around her waist as Rukia nestled her head in the crook of his neck. Tatsuki stood stunned, but smiled widely at the sight. Inoue looked on sadly.

Ichigo stirred suddenly, opening his eyes to see the two girls at the door. He gazed at them, a little embarrassed by the situation, but he smiled all the same.

Tatsuki grinned, "Glad to see you're feeling better." Inoue had yet to speak, but it was taking her everything to simply not burst into tears. Ichigo shifted slightly, careful not to wake the sleeping girl in his arms.

He looked down at Rukia gently before replying, "Better than ever."

_Waking up to you never felt so real._

* * *

**A/N:** _My inspiration and indeed the last line of this fic came from Comatose- by Skillet.  
Credit where credit is due; these guys rock!_


	6. Baby Blunder

Baby Blunder

_Trust me it would scare you if you knew what was going on in my brain.  
Trust me it would scare you,  
that i've picked out the church, all the schools, all the names.  
If you knew it was all about you,  
Every wish, every candle, every coin in the fountain.  
_

Ichigo shifted in his seat, making himself comfortable as he pressed the 'play' button on the T.V. remote. The movie title _'Kill Bill' _flashed to life on the screen. It was times like these he was glad Rukia wasn't a total girlie-girl, otherwise he might've been forced to watch a chick flick. But Rukia, in fact seemed to enjoy action-thrillers just as much as him, thankfully.

It was a Saturday evening. Yuzu and Karin had gone to stay at a friend's house for the night and Isshin was away on a fishing trip— believe it or not— for the weekend, leaving Ichigo and Rukia in the house alone. The orange-haired teen cringed at the memory of what his father had suggested he and Rukia would get up to while in an empty house. A swift punch to the jaw had silenced that old fool.

He shook the thought from his head as Rukia sat down beside him on the sofa, a bowl of popcorn in hand. Ichigo reached across to grab a handful of the snack, not noticing her disapproving glare. The movie was as good as he had expected. There was definitely action, but he wasn't too bothered by the storyline. Rukia on the other hand seemed hooked. She even found the fight scenes impressive, _though not as good as Ichigo,_ she mused silently to herself.

Just as another fight was about to take place, the doorbell rang and Rukia groaned as Ichigo paused the movie. He stood up first, picking up the now empty bowl they had been eating out of, "I'll get more popcorn, if you want to answer the door." He suggested. Rukia let out a sigh as he helped her up from her seat.

She quickly made her way out to the hall. Opening the door she was met by a young woman, who she assumed was married, by the ring on her finger. "Hello," the woman began cheerfully, smiling widely at Rukia who eyed the woman in a mixture of worry and suspicion, "I was wondering…" she paused, "I'm sorry… but is this the Kurosaki residence?"

Before Rukia could answer Ichigo stepped into the hallway and into the woman's view, "Who is it, Rukia?" he then noticed the two at his doorstep, "Ah, Mrs Tanaka, always a pleasure to see you." He spoke with an uncharacteristic smile plastered on his face. Rukia gave him a raised brow, but he ignored it, "What brings you here this evening? How is your baby by the way, Izzie, right?"

The blonde haired woman nodded in response and Ichigo gestured for her to step inside, "Izzie is in fact back at home. She is why I came here actually." The woman was speaking to Ichigo, but at the same time had her eyes on Rukia, who had managed to find her way behind the orange-haired teen. She looked a little awkward, "I hope I didn't… interrupt anything." She said suddenly, causing Ichigo to splutter and Rukia to laugh.

"N-no," Ichigo responded, waving his hands, "Sorry, this is Ruki-" he paused at the looks he was receiving for calling her by her first name, "This is Kuchiki Rukia. She's staying with our family at the moment."

She bowed to Rukia, who politely bowed back, "It's a pleasure to meet you." Only Ichigo knew it was a lie, for she would much rather be back watching their movie than introducing herself to his neighbours. They could be so alike at times.

"So what did you say you were here for?" Ichigo asked then, causing the woman to hang her head slightly.

"Well, you see, tonight's my wedding anniversary. My husband and I were planning on going out for the night, but our babysitter cancelled last minute." She then gave Rukia a warm smile, making the girl immediately feel cornered, "We've tried just about everyone, but so far nobody can mind our Izzie on such short notice. So we thought we would try you, that is… if you'd be available?"

Ichigo noticed that she was not looking at him, but Rukia. "Uhh…" Rukia didn't know the first thing about babies; let alone how to take care of one, "Umm…"

"Of course, if you're nervous about staying in a strange house on your own, Ichigo is more than welcome to join you." Her voice seemed cheerful, but desperate. Rukia looked to Ichigo who shrugged, nodding his head slowly, "We'd be happy to help, Mrs Tanaka." She replied and the woman immediately grabbed her up into an embrace.

"Oh thank you, Kuchiki-san!"

"Heh, no problem."

* * *

When they reached the Tanaka residence, the woman let them in. Rukia immediately went to admire the many pictures on their walls. She showed Rukia around the house, pointing out where everything was. Ichigo followed the two women, knowing full well that Rukia would forget everything almost immediately after.

The woman led them back to the kitchen, "The bottles are in the refrigerator. If she gets fussy, try a bottle. If that doesn't work; check her diaper. If it gets to be too much just call one of us. Our numbers are on the counter."

"Any allergies?" Ichigo asked suddenly.

"No. Not that we know of, anyway."

Both teens nodded, and the woman continued, "My husband's just bathed her, so she should be ready for bed within the next half hour or so."

At that, said husband brought the little bundle into the kitchen, "Here she is." He said sweetly, handing Izzie to Rukia.

Both parents then made their way to the door, "Remember to call if anything comes up." The woman added just before they left.

"Will do," Ichigo replied, "Enjoy yourselves." At that he closed the door, turning around to see Rukia and Izzie in the middle of a staring contest. The baby then reached up and pulled at the chain around Rukia's neck.

"Quit it!" she told the infant sternly, but it just laughed, reaching up instead to grab a fistful of her hair, "Ow! That hurts! Cut that out!"

Ichigo chuckled, earning a pointed glare from the raven-haired girl, "It's not listening to me!" she stated, her glare moving from Ichigo to the playful baby in her arms.

He walked over to the two, gently taking Izzie from Rukia. He held the infant carefully, rocking her in his arms, all the while telling her how good a little girl she was, in a voice far to high to be his own. Rukia watch; appalled by the sight. After a moment or two, she just had to ask, "What the hell is wrong with you?!"

He met her shocked stare with a raised brow, "What do you mean?"

She scoffed, "Have you lost your mind?" before Ichigo could ask, she began mimicking what he had been previously doing.

"That's how everybody acts around a baby, Rukia. Nobody talks to them like they're adults."

"Any why not?!"

He laughed at her outrage, "Well… because they're not adults. They're babies. They don't understand you."

At that the infant let out a sleepy yawn. Ichigo gave the small girl a gentle smile, "Looks like somebody's tired, huh?"

Rukia then realized that he wasn't expecting an answer as he brought Izzie into the nursery. Once they reached the room, Ichigo mumbled under his breath, "I forgot to bring her up a bottle. Would you…" he handed Izzie to a nervous Rukia, "I'll be right back. Try rocking her to sleep."

Once he left, the baby seemed to change expression immediately. Its face grew redder by the second, and Rukia had a feeling that the small thing was about to explode.

It did…

Though it was worse than any explosion she had ever imagined.

"ICHIGOOOOOOOOOOOO!"

Said boy raced upstairs at Rukia's cry. The Raven-haired girl stood outside the nursery with the infant lying in her crib.

"What happened, Rukia?" he was panting slightly at having run upstairs.

Rukia had her hand covering her nose, "Ichigo… that thing is rotting from the inside out! I swear, such smells are not natural!"

He furrowed his brow, "What do you mean?" When stepping into the nursery Ichigo froze as a foul odour met his nostrils, "Oh…" he said simply, "That."

Rukia stared at him in shock, "'That'?! Is that all you're gonna say?! What will the parents say when they come home to find out that their baby is nothing but a rotting corpse?!"

Ichigo stifled a laugh. She was definitely not like most girls. Not with movies… or babies. Most girls would have gone 'gaga' at the baby girl, but Rukia insisted on treating her as if she was a fully developed adult. Most girls wouldn't have been completely stunned by a smelly baby either. Rukia was just_ not _one of these girls. He had known that for a long time.

"Rukia, it's just a dirty diaper."

"Diaper?" she repeated curiously, despite herself. Ichigo rolled his eyes, walking into the stinking room and pulling the baby from her bed. Rukia couldn't understand how Ichigo wasn't unconscious, let alone how he was still smiling at the baby girl. _He must be in shock, _she concluded.

It didn't take him long to complete the most foul task Rukia had ever witnessed in her entire life. She gagged numerous times whilst watching Ichigo go through the process of, 'changing her diaper'. She was unable to actually stay for the entire procedure however, and had to escape downstairs to prevent herself from throwing up.

About ten minutes later, Ichigo returned downstairs with a baby monitor in hand. He set in on the coffee table before looking for Rukia.

"Rukia?" he called quietly, so as not to wake the now sleeping baby upstairs. He found the raven-haired girl in the kitchen. Two cups of tea were prepared on the counter, and she was sipping slowly at her own, sitting on one of the high stools.

He wanted to know what was going through her mind. Ever since they arrived for this job she seemed troubled by something. Ichigo didn't expect her to know much about kids. From what he knew about her, she herself had died as and infant, and he couldn't imagine there being many babies around Soul Society.

But she didn't even speak when he sat beside her, taking the tea she had made gratefully, "Thanks."

She nodded, still not looking at him.

There was a long silence. Rukia's mind appeared to be doing overtime, but Ichigo had no idea what had her so worked up.

"What's wrong?" he asked suddenly.

Rukia immediately looked at him, wide-eyed, "What do you mean? Nothing's wrong." She spoke shakily.

Ichigo sighed tilting his head to meet her eyes, "Rukia, you and I both know that lying never gets anywhere when it comes to you and me," he shrugged dismissively, "We just know each other too well."

At those words, the raven-haired girl looked away, "I'd really rather not talk about it…" she muttered.

He crossed his arms defiantly, "You know that won't work either." He stated matter-of-factly.

Rukia let out a frustrated sigh, "Stop thinking you know me!" she snapped, and Ichigo was taken aback. Her eyes met his in a distressed glare, "You have no idea what it feels like to see someone almost a hundred years younger than you handle a simple task like a _baby_ better than yourself!"

Ichigo tilted his head, his brow furrowed. This was one of those rare moments when he realized that Rukia was indeed a century older than him. And it was one of those moments when he knew that it didn't matter to him.

"Rukia…" he began, but she cut him off.

"No, Ichigo! If you want to know what has me so worked up, then I'll tell you! I can't help but wonder; if I can't even mind a baby for a few hours with you, how the hell will I _ever_ be able to help raise _our_ kids?!"

Ichigo froze. Rukia stalled for a second longer, before realizing what she had just said. She slapped her hands over her mouth, looking at him wide-eyed and red-faced. Without another word, she ran out of the room. Leaving a stunned Ichigo sitting in silence.

Neither one spoke to the other after that. Neither knew exactly what to say. They had never even mentioned the chances of a relationship before now, and Rukia accidentally just blurted out that she wants to have his kids!

He remained in the kitchen while Rukia sat on the living room sofa. He ran a hand through his hair_. She wants to have kids? What does she think of marriage? Would she want to marry me? Why would she want kids and not want to get married? _He sighed in frustration;_ Maybe she just likes the idea of having a family, idiot… even if you're not in it._

He shook the thoughts from his head. He was going to have to talk to her. He walked out of the kitchen and was about to speak when.

A shrill cry was heard over the baby monitor. Rukia immediately jumped from her seat, instinctively almost. Not noticing Ichigo at the Kitchen door, she ran out upstairs. Ichigo followed suit. When he reached the nursery, he noticed the crying had seized. He peeped into the room to see Rukia standing beside the cot, the little baby in her arms as she rocked her gently.

He was about to enter when he heard soft singing come from the raven-haired girl. _She's singing Izzie to sleep? _It was a simple sweet lullaby, and Ichigo couldn't help but notice that Rukia did in fact have a lovely singing voice. After a few moments, silence met his ears, and Ichigo looked again to see Rukia place the sleeping baby back in her crib, pulling the blankets up on her and tucking in a little a teddy bear beside her.

She stood back, still eyeing the infant. She hadn't noticed before, but when she was holding the baby, Rukia realized it had brown eyes similar to Ichigo's, and a lovely head of dark hair. She had found it easy to imagine the child as being her own. Hers… and Ichigo's.

A pair of strong arms suddenly wrapped around her waist, and Rukia jumped at the sudden touch. She turned her head slightly to see Ichigo looking over her shoulder at the sleeping baby, "Good job." He spoke quietly, pulling her back closer to him as he held her in a gentle embrace, his head resting on her silky hair as she leaned her head against his chest.

There was no need for words. Ichigo was a man of very few. But he felt like he should be a little out of character at a moment like this, "Is this how you imagined it?" he whispered softly in her ear.

Rukia blushed, tilting her head to meet his gaze, "No…" she replied, immediately noticing Ichigo look away, his eyes telling her he was hurt. She cupped his cheek with her hand, bring his eyes back to hers as she smiled, "I mean; No… this is much better."

He squeezed her a little, his voice playful, yet dead serious as he spoke the next sentence, "Wait 'til we have our own."

Rukia gasped and Ichigo gave a small smile, turning her so that she now faced him. He tilted her head up in order to bring his lips down on hers. It was a simple, sweet kiss, that neither wished to end. But the sudden sound of the front door opening broke them apart.

Both flushed teens made their way downstairs as the parents closed the door behind them.

"Ah, was there any trouble?" the woman asked quietly.

Rukia went to answer, but Ichigo beat her to it, "Not at all. She was a little angel." He gave the parents a reassuring smile, "Did you enjoy your night out?"

She grinned in response, "It was wonderful!" the couple gave one another a loving kiss before turning back to the teens, "Hopefully someday you two will both know what it's like to find true love."

Rukia felt Ichigo place a hand gently on the small of her back, "I have no doubt about that." he replied honestly.

Rukia felt her face redden slightly, and for some reason she couldn't stop smiling.

They left the house, the woman handing Rukia a small envelope before they left. It was late, and dark, but Rukia had never felt safer. The two walked close beside each other, and it didn't take long for Ichigo to wrap an arm around her waist as they made their way home.

She rested her head against his chest, "Ichigo…"

"Hmm?"

"Did you really mean what you said… earlier when…"

She didn't get a chance to finish before Ichigo answered her with a tender and loving kiss, Rukia noticed, was similar to the one she had seen the couple exchange previously. When they broke away Ichigo gave her slim frame a small squeeze, "I meant every word."

Rukia was glad it was dark, although she was certain he could still tell she was blushing, "Ichigo… I…"

_I love you._

She wanted to say it. But words seemed so unnecessary just then, like they simply weren't enough.

Ichigo chuckled, "It's alright, Rukia. I do too."

* * *

**A/N: **_My opening note was courtasy on Natasha Bedingfield's - I Wanna Have Your Babies.  
I laughed at the thought and figured I'd see how a fic would work out for it.  
I liked this. I still get tingles at the ending, despite the fact I wrote it, hehe!_


	7. No—Inoue!

_"A kiss is a lovely trick, designed by nature, to stop words when speech becomes superfluous."  
_--Ingrid Bergmen

No—Inoue!

"Kuchiki-san!"

The raven-haired girl turned at the call to see a frantic looking Tatsuki running up to her. It was only then that she realised that apart from herself and her friend the school corridor was unusually empty.

"Arisawa-san!" she greeted pleasantly, "How are you today?"

"Not great..." the tomboy admitted honestly, "I kinda need to ask you for a favour."

Rukia furrowed her brow. This was definitely a first with Tatsuki, "Ahh... sure, of course you can ask me for a favour." she replied, expecting that her friend had forgotten a book or something and needed a loan of hers.

Tatsuki heaved a relieved sigh, "Thank you Kuchiki. Could we discuss this somewhere a little more private?"

Rukia nodded, cautiously following Tatsuki into an empty classroom, "What's going on, Arisawa-san?

The tomboy sat on the edge of a desk looking up at Rukia while she spoke, "Kuchiki-san... I need to to..." she couldn't ask for this... It was just too painful. She was convinced that this counted as going behind her best friend's back. She balled her hands into fists, earning a weary look from Rukia.

"If you need help, Arisawa... I'm more than willing to assist you."

Tatsuki almost smiled at her words, before looking up at Rukia and finally asking, "I need you... to keep Ichigo from Inoue."

Rukia's eyes widened, then she furrowed her brow, unsure of this request, "I... ahh..."

Tatsuki grabbed the raven-haired girls shoulders, "Please, Kuchiki-san! I made a terrible mistake last night, and now I need to prevent Inoue from getting herself hurt!"

Rukia watched the usually strong girl's eyes glisten, "I shouldn't have... I... was foolish...

"_Kurosaki... really does love Kuchiki-san, huh?" Inoue said between mouthfuls of ice cream._

_Earlier that day Ichigo had gotten hurt by a hollow. Rukia, being first on the scene had started using a healing kidou on his wounds. Inoue had eventually arrived to see Ichigo lying on the ground, chest bare holding Rukia's hand._

_Once he saw Inoue, he immediately released Rukia's hand and waved to the brown-haired girl, "Hey, Inoue."_

_Ignoring the crippling pain in her heart, Inoue smiled widely. She then noticed the large gash across Ichigo's chest and gasped, "Kurosaki-kun!" she kneeled down, beside Rukia who was already working on healing the injury, "I can heal that for you right away! I'll have you done much faster."_

_At her words Rukia looked up from Ichigo's cut for the first time, her mouth slightly agape, eyes narrowed, just a little. Then she spoke in a calm voice, "It's alright, Inoue. I've got this one."_

_Inoue was about to reply when Ichigo spoke up, his voice told her he was tired, "It's Okay, thanks anyway Inoue, but Rukia has this. I'll be fine. She used to take care of my wounds before you came along anyway." she saw his eyes catch Rukia's before he looked back at Inoue, "I trust her."_

_At those words, Inoue had felt her heart split in two. Ichigo looked quite relaxed when Rukia was healing him, he had closed his eyes slightly, as if ready to sleep. She had sat there in silence for a minute, while Rukia continued to focus on nothing but Ichigo's wound. The orange-haired teen looked at Inoue with worry, "Are you alright, Inoue?"_

_She immediately snapped out of her stupor, smiling insanely, "Oh! Yes, Kurosaki-kun! Nothing to worry about. I'm just fine!" she stood up, "Well, I must go. Goodbye Kuchiki-san... Kurosaki-kun." At that she ran off, leaving behind a confused Ichigo and an indifferent Rukia._

_Inoue stuffed another spoonful of ice-cream into her mouth, while Tatsuki watched horrified, as this was her second tub, "He keeps her in his heart... not me. He trusts her..." a tear rolled down the girl's cheek, and Tatsuki felt her stomach wrench at the sight of her heart-broken friend._

"_That's not what I heard." she said suddenly, surprising herself as the words left her mouth._

_Inoue immediately looked up at her friend, "W-what do you mean, Tatsuki?"_

_Tatsuki gulped. She couldn't lie to her best friend, could she? What if it was to make Inoue feel better... is lying so bad then? Sucking in a breath she continued, fake confidence in her voice, "Oh yeah! I heard that Ichigo doesn't stop talking about you! Apparently he told Keigo that he adores your... ahh... unique personality! Yes! Even Rukia told me she thinks Ichigo has a thing for you."_

_Inoue's eyes widened, hope shining through, and Tatsuki felt her stomach wrench as she continued to lie, "I'm sure Ichigo loves you."_

Looking back at it, what Tatsuki had done was cruel, but she couldn't stand to see Inoue in so much pain!

Now Inoue wants to confront Ichigo, as she is so confident that he loves her. All because she trusts Tatsuki so much! She can't let Inoue make a fool of herself, and get her heart broken at the same time! No! She wouldn't allow it!

She had planned it all that morning, to ask Rukia to keep Inoue and Ichigo separated, at least for today. Just to give her enough time to talk Inoue out of facing Ichigo.

"Rukia," she pleaded, and the raven-haired girl was shocked that she used her first name, "Please... I can't tell you why, but if Inoue talks to Ichigo today... she's going to get hurt," she looked up at her with certainty, "And I _can't _allow that to happen!"

The raven-haired girl watched Tatsuki for a moment, still very confused. _How could Ichigo hurt Inoue? He would never do such a thing! _But Tatsuki looked so desperate...

She nodded, "Alright. I'll do it today, and I won't ask any questions..."

The tomboy smiled with relief, thanking Rukia almost a million times before exiting the classroom.

Once she had left, Rukia heaved a sigh. This was going to be a tough day...

She had left the classroom to head away when she heard a call. Rukia turned to see Ichigo leaning against the wall, waiting for her, "What was that?" he asked curiously, gesturing towards the classroom where she and Tatsuki had been talking.

Rukia swallowed, "That? Oh, that was nothing! Just girl troubles."

She smirked at the immediate uninterested expression on Ichigo's face. She then found herself asking the question, "Why are you here anyway? Doesn't class start soon?"

He opened his mouth as if to say something, then closed it, deciding against it. He looked away, "I was just... wondering where you went." he spoke quietly, not meeting her gaze.

She chuckled, earning at outraged glare from the strawberry, "You really are a big baby!"

Ichigo scoffed angrily, "Hah! That coming from a _midget_ really hurt!"

"Carrot-top!"

"Bitch!"

"Bas-"

She was interrupted by an angry teacher. Who caught both teens, telling them to head to class and to leave that kind of language for _after_ school!

Class was slow and Rukia found herself too occupied with thinking of ways to 'protect' Inoue from Ichigo, that when the teacher asked her a question she hadn't a clue what they had been discussing in class and was unable to answer her. After a severe lecture Rukia found herself sitting in silent guilt.

Her stare focused on the book in front of her Rukia didn't hear Ichigo whisper her name. Suddenly a note fell on the page she was reading. She looked over to Ichigo who motioned that she should open it. When she did, she threw him a smirk, nodding.

Rukia felt relieved. This would definitely make her job easier.

Once the bell for lunch rang, Rukia stood up to head to her locker. Inoue saw Ichigo watching the raven-haired girl leave before he himself stood and gathered his things to go out for lunch. As Rukia passed Inoue a small piece of paper fell from her pocket. Inoue quickly snatched it up, without anybody noticing, and read the note.

_Rukia, _

_Keigo is in one of his pervy moods, _

_and I'm not patient enough to listen to him for 45 minutes. _

_(Without sending him to Soul Society.)_

_Can I hang out with you at lunch?_

_Yuzu made me peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, I know they're your favourite..._

_Well...?_

_Ichigo._

Inoue crumpled the note in her hands before deciding how she could work around this little obstacle that is Kuchiki Rukia.

* * *

"Thanks, Ichigo." Rukia said, though her words were muffled by the half a sandwich lodged in her mouth as she sat on a tree branch just above the orange-haired teen.

He shook his head, half amused... half disgusted by the sight, "Don't mention it." he replied. He was actually glad he had asked to hang around with Rukia for lunch. She was one of the few people he didn't feel like he had to put on any kind of show for. Even when they weren't talking, the silence was rarely an awkward one.

His mind drifted, thinking about how peaceful it had been today. No Hollows, thank God, he thought. He remembered the last one they faced, just yesterday. He had been exhausted, and not fast enough. The Hollow had been killed, but Ichigo got a nice slash across the chest.

"_Ichigo!" Rukia ran over to him as the Hollow vanished. Ichigo stabbed Zangetsu into the concrete, holding on to the hilt of his blade for support. Rukia ran around to face him, paling at the sight, "My God..." she whispered._

_He began to lose balance, and she quickly helped him lie on the ground without making his wound any worse and pulled his robes from his chest carefully. She started using her Kidou immediately, as opposed to waiting for Inoue. Ichigo watched as she focused on the bleeding wound, eyes not moving once._

_He could feel himself slip in and out of consciousness at first, but soon after he began to feel better. The pain seemed to be leaving his body a lot faster than whenever Inoue would heal him. He knew the wound was still pretty bad, but Rukia's reiatsu always seemed to have that calming effect on him._

"_Thanks, Rukia." he forced himself to speak, despite the slight discomfort it caused._

_The raven-haired girl suddenly looked up from his wound, "I didn't know you were awake." she admitted._

_Ichigo scoffed, "Great attention span you have, eh?"_

_He suddenly felt a burning pain, where Rukia was pressing down on his wound, "What was that. Ichigo?" she sneered as he yelped in pain._

_He snatched her hand away, holding it roughly, "That hurts, midget!"_

"_Sorry..." she mocked, laughing to herself as Ichigo tightened his grip on her offending hand._

"_Can't you be gentle for five seconds?!" he snapped._

_Rukia laughed sourly, "You don't know the meaning of the word!" she retorted, about to pull her hand back, when Ichigo's grip on it suddenly became softer. She met his brown eyes with a look of total confusion. _

_Ichigo gave her a small smile, "Is that gentle enough?" he asked, his voice tender._

_Rukia was about to respond when Ichigo saw Inoue approach, letting go of her quickly, "Inoue!"_

_Flustered, Rukia continued to heal him. Inoue offered to patch him up with Shun Shun Rikka, but Ichigo graciously declined, and he could have sworn Rukia looked relieved at that._

_Once Inoue had left Rukia stole a glance at Ichigo, "You still awake?" she joked lightly._

_He smirked, "I'm a little hard to kill off, Rukia. Sorry."_

_There was a silence in which Ichigo wished he knew what she was thinking about. She looked up from his wound once more, "Why didn't you take Inoue's offer?" she asked quietly._

_He didn't know any other way to answer other than honestly. "I guess... I forgot how nice your reiatsu feels. I like it." he replied, with a light tinge across his cheeks._

_Rukia gave him a slightly stunned look, before smiling, "Well... I liked the feeling of you holding my hand." she replied softly, surprised by her own boldness. _

_His mouth was slightly agape. Then he cautiously reached over and took her hand in his own, holding it gently as his exhaustion finally caught up with him and he dosed off._

When he woke up, it was morning, his was in his bed, and Rukia had already left for school. Neither seemed to want to talk about what had happened. It was probably best, Ichigo mused.

He suddenly noticed Inoue approach the two of them. He felt a little annoyed that someone had found them, as he was hoping he wouldn't have to be very talkative today.

"Kurosaki-kun!" Inoue called, quickly making her way over.

Ichigo raised his hand in a half-hearted wave, "Hey, Inoue." he replied.

Rukia heard Ichigo say Inoue's name and fell off her branch in shock, landing flat on her back and winding herself.

Ichigo snapped around at the sound his eyes widening at his friend on the ground, "Rukia!" he ran over to her. He sat her up, "Rukia? Rukia, are you Okay?!"

The raven-haired girl looked up at him, "Shut up... make the world stop spinning!" she groaned, holding her head.

Ichigo quickly scooped her into his arms and, without speaking to Inoue again, ran in the direction of the nurse's office. The brown-haired girl watched his retreating figure, frustration kicking in.

Tatsuki heaved a relieved sigh. She had seen the whole thing, but didn't react fast enough to interfere. _'Good idea, Kuchiki-san!'_

Her eyes fluttered open, and they immediately met a pair of relieved brown ones. Ichigo sat at the side of her bed in the nurse's office, "How many fingers am I holding up?" he quizzed, holding up three fingers in front of her face.

"Sixteen..."

Ichigo narrowed his eyes, giving her a frustrated glare, causing Rukia to chuckle.

"Three."

He nodded curtly, just as the nurse returned to dismiss her.

* * *

The rest of lunch had been occupied with Rukia's many attempts to keep Ichigo from Inoue, or was it the other way around? She wasn't quite sure.

Inoue had approached them while they were kicking a football around the place. Rukia, thinking on her feet, kicked the ball wide and hit Inoue square on the nose. Tatsuki suddenly came from nowhere, and instead of pounding Rukia for doing such a thing she just carted Inoue away from the two of them.

The next incident was while she had left Ichigo for a second to get a drink. She saw Inoue head towards Ichigo and immediately used a spell that would cause the victim to desire to run, without stopping. Something herself and Renji had come up with a while back whenever a pal of theirs was getting on their nerves Inoue just sprinted passed Ichigo, not there long enough to say anything to him.

As they walked along one of the school corridors together Rukia's mind was tossing around the place. _Why is she trying to talk to him anyway? She doesn't usually approach him on her own. Does she want to get hurt?! _She stole a glance up at Ichigo, who was looking straight ahead. _How could Ichigo possibly hurt her anyway? He's far too kind to do something like that..._

"Rukia?"

She stopped, looking up at Ichigo.

"You sure you're Okay? You seem kinda spaced out... and you did hit your head pretty hard." he had a look of worry. One which she would usually scold him for, but this time she found herself smiling lightly as she nodded, "I'm just fi-"

She trailed off at the sight of Inoue talking to Tatsuki. Inoue caught sight of them, as did Tatsuki, and their expressions were the polar opposite of one another. While Inoue looked delighted to see Ichigo, Tatsuki looked terrified.

Before Inoue could try to approach them, Rukia grabbed Ichigo and ran in the opposite direction, dragging the confused teen with her.

Inoue went to follow them, but Tatsuki suddenly had something really important to tell her. The tomboy suddenly began spouting nonsense, hoping to buy Rukia some time.

Rukia pulled Ichigo around yet another corner before she had to stop, panting from running so much, and fighting Ichigo's resistance. Ichigo gave her a bewildered look, "What the hell, Rukia?!"

Before Rukia could respond, Inoue came around the corner, "Ah, there you are Kurosaki-kun. May I speak with you alone for a moment?"

Ichigo looked back at Rukia for an instant before he turned and agreed, but before he could go with the big-bosomed girl, Rukia grabbed his wrist and pulled him back

She crashed her lips roughly with his. She was going the assumption that humans would feel awkward watching as two of their friends shared an intimate moment with eachother in front of them, and that said human might leave out of humility.

However, once Rukia's lips met Ichigo's, her plan was immediately forgotten.

His lips were so soft, so warm…

So inviting.

How did she not try this before now?

Ichigo froze at first with his eyes wide, but suddenly surprised Rukia by responding. He wrapped his arm around her waist, pulling her closer as she brought her hands up around his neck. He walked them over and pressed Rukia against the wall. His mouth parted a little and he brushed his tongue across her lips, asking for access to deepen the kiss. Rukia gave him all the permission he needed and he savoured her taste. She was surprisingly sweet.

Inoue watched wide-eyed for a minute as her Ichigo kissed Rukia with all the passion she could have ever hoped he'd kiss _her_ with. Without another word, she dashed away, tears rolling down her cheeks.

When the eventually broke the kiss, Ichigo held her gently against his chest, "Whoa..."

Rukia felt her stomach flip, _how can this same person hurt Inoue?! It's just impossible! But... what if... _"Ichigo?" she pushed away from him just a little.

He met her eyes and his expression immediately became worried, "What?"

She sucked in a breath, hoping that he wouldn't get mad with what she had to say, "P-please... don't hurt Inoue."

Ichigo's mouth hung open, "What? What do you mean?"

At his question, Rukia looked away, slightly embarrassed as she replied, "I... don't really know, but I was asked to-"

"Is this what you and Tatsuki were talking about earlier?" he questioned, a little snappishly.

"Y-yes, but-"

Without another word Ichigo stomped away, mumbling something in a furious tone. He left Rukia watching as he marched in the direction of Tatsuki. Rukia squeezed her arm, sinking down on to the floor, leaning against the wall, "Ichigo..."

Ichigo barged into a classroom to see Tatsuki comforting an hysterical Inoue. Before he could say anything, she tackled him out of the room, closing the door behind her.

"Don't you think you've done enough trouble, Ichigo?!" she hissed, tightening her grip on his collar.

"What the hell do you mean?!" he snapped back, pulling out of her grasp, "You're the one who made Rukia think I was going to harm Inoue! What kinda guy do you think I am anyway?! Do you honestly think I would injure Inoue?!"

Tatsuki's eyes widened as she realised Rukia had taken her words completely wrong, "Oh God... Ichigo..." she moved further away from the door, "Inoue wanted to tell you something today, that I didn't want her to say it, for her own sake! So I told Rukia to keep you occupied, and keep Inoue away from you so protect her..."

"From what?" Ichigo cut in, his patience leaving him fast.

"From getting heartbroken!"

Ichigo stepped back, "H-heart-broken?"

The tomboy nodded sadly, "Inoue was in love with you, Ichigo. She wanted to tell you that, but..."

"But...?" he pressed, and Tatsuki gulped.

"But I know you love Kuchiki-san! So to prevent her from getting hurt, I asked Rukia to keep you two apart!"

Ichigo felt his stomach flip, _Love? Rukia? She thinks I love Rukia?! She __knows_ _I love Rukia..._

He then began to feel guilty that Inoue had seen him and Rukia kiss. Tatsuki looked back at the room Inoue was in, sighing, "It's not your fault, Ichigo. You can't pick who you love... you just know." at that, she went back to the room, stopping before she entered, "But, Ichigo... if this all happened for nothing, you're dead."

Once she went back in to see to the bawling Inoue, Ichigo set off running, _Rukia!_

* * *

The sunset, gave her surroundings a calm orange glow as she attempted to calm herself. Ichigo had been mad with her... she couldn't blame him. She closed her eyes, leaning against the tree as a calm breeze caressed her skin, before it was joined by a pair of lips against her cheek.

Rukia jumped slightly, looking over to see Ichigo sitting beside her, "Rukia..."

"Ichigo," she cut across, "I'm so sorry! I shouldn't have done what I did. It was wrong and inconsiderate to you! I should have asked more before agreeing to something so foolish! I..."

Ichigo quietened her by planting another soft kiss on her lips, pulling away far too quickly but he had something important to talk to her about, "Rukia, I found out what Tatsuki meant. Inoue was apparently... in love with me..."

Rukia felt her heart sink, and all she could say was, "Oh..."

He continued, "But... I hurt her." at this Rukia looked up at him in shock, but he ignored her, "I hurt her, because in don't share the same feelings."

She looked at him, confusion setting in, "Ichigo..."

He swallowed hard before finishing, "What I'm trying to say Rukia... is that I'm in love with you. Just you."

She gasped, covering her mouth with her hand, "Me?" she repeated.

Ichigo scoffed, "Are you kidding me?!"

Before she could answer Ichigo leaned over, capturing her lips again in a soft but passionate kiss that lasted longer this time. He held her close, running his hands through her hair he deepened the kiss, causing both to forget the events of the day, Inoue, everything. There was just Ichigo, Rukia... and the beautiful sunset. Which, in the future, Ichigo would argue was never quite as beautiful as Rukia was.

After a while they pulled away, still holding each other close as Ichigo planted gentle kisses on her forehead, while the sun finally disappeared behind the hills.

Rukia nuzzled her head against his neck, "I love you, Ichigo."

He gave her a small squeeze, before replying, "I love you too, Rukia. I'll _never _hurt you."

_I know that, idiot._

**

* * *

**

**A/N:**_Well, that's it for now! Hope you guys liked it!  
If you have any suggestions for future fics, please PM me.  
Please review!_


	8. Request: Long Awaited Reunions

Long awaited reunions

In a small town store, where few knew its contents, behind the counter a bright light formed in the middle of the backroom. The bright light grew in size until it seemed just big enough to fit a group of teenagers and one shopkeeper into the room— and that's exactly what happened.

Hopping out in twos mostly, one supporting the other, Ishida and Chad were the first to return through the gate. Following them were, Inoue, Kisuke, and Hanatarou. The squad four member tagged along back to the real world to help Inoue heal up their friends. Inoue had accepted his help gratefully, feeling a little weak after the events that had unfolded because of her.

Close behind Hanatarou came the last two in the group to enter the room before the portal closed. Kuchiki Rukia was doing her best to hold up a badly wounded Kurosaki Ichigo. Sure, he had been patched up, but he still had at least two broken ribs _and_a leg out of commission. When they had limped through the gate Rukia helped her partner on to one of the makeshift beds.

Inoue immediately went to heal him up, but Ichigo insisted that the others get looked at first— much to the frustration of the raven-haired girl at his side. So while Inoue reluctantly patched up Chad and Hanatarou checked out a wound on Rukia's upper arm, the latter decided to begin a healing Kidou on Ichigo, without his permission.

Ichigo slowly turned to glare at her, "Stop." He demanded, though his voice was much too weak for it to sound commanding, "You're just as exhausted as the rest of us."

"In your dreams, Kurosaki." She retorted, not moving her hand from the gash across his stomach, "You'll be lucky if I don't beat you myself for refusing treatment first. I mean look at you! You're the biggest mess here."

He coughed, looking up at her and obviously not impressed, "Thanks…"

To anybody else in that room, what he had said would have been a sarcastic remark, but not to Rukia. She knew him far too well. He watched as her eyes seemed to soften, "You're welcome."

When Inoue eventually healed their friends and got to work on Ichigo, it didn't take long for him to be able to move around under his own steam again, which he insisted on doing, stating that he needed to walk amongst the living for a while.

"But Ichigo," he heard Rukia and stopped at the store door, "You've only just got fixed up! You should be resting. What if you start to feel weak?"

Ichigo made a face to suggest he was thoughtful before dramatically snapping his fingers, "In that case I guess I'll need someone to tag along and keep an eye on me," a smirk played at the corners of his lips as he held a hand out to the raven haired girl, "Care to join me?"

Rukia couldn't hide how her mouth fell open a little. He rarely smiles, and she wished he would do it more frequently, because the look he was giving her now was nothing short of dazzling. She slowly came to her senses again however and nodded her head, "I suppose I could… if you'll buy us ice-cream."

His smile returned full force, "We just saved the world, and all you can worry about is the ice-cream." He shook his head while she watched his new found good mood a little warily. It had just occurred to her that he may have lost his mind.

Without another word Ichigo turned to exit the store, but before Rukia could call him back.

"Kurosaki-kun!"

Ichigo stopped again, but Rukia swore she saw him tense slightly this time. By the time he turned round again however his expression was soft, though nothing compared to the look Rukia had seen only moments ago. The bronze-haired girl dashed past Rukia coming to a halt in front of Ichigo.

"Kurosaki-kun…" she began, her face reddening as she seemed lost for words, "I… T-thank you for saving me."

He looked a little surprised at her gratitude, as if it went without saying, "It's no problem, Inoue. I'll always try to protect the people close to me," his gaze fell over to the raven-haired girl as he continued; "Rukia knows what I'm talking about."

He winked.

Ichigo _winked._

In a daze Rukia quickly made to regain her composure. Then placed her hands on her hips as she smartly replied, "Pfft, Ichigo I think the whole of Soul Society knows what you're talking about."

Ichigo smirked and shrugged his shoulders looking a little dismissive as he plainly said, "Then they know I'd do it again, in a heartbeat."

She couldn't hide the blush that fought its way to her cheeks. Was he doing this on purpose? Before Rukia could respond however, Ichigo turned back to Inoue, "So really, Inoue. You don't need to thank me." He gave her a small smile before gesturing for Rukia to come on, and then he finally left the store.

Once outside Rukia almost gasped at the cold. It had been so warm in Hueco Mundo; she had forgotten it was in fact winter. Ichigo seemed to be in unusually high spirits however as they rounded the corner from the alley-way onto the busy town street.

Rukia had also forgotten, "Oh, it must be Christmas soon." She gazed around at the lights that decorated the streets.

The orange-haired boy beside her chuckled, "And you wanted _ice-cream_."

She fought the urge to huff as she indignantly replied, "Well, in case you've forgotten, it wasn't exactly _cold _back in Hueco Mundo."

Ichigo nodded solemnly, "No… I suppose you're right." His voice wasn't light anymore, and Rukia immediately regretted mentioning the war.

"Ichigo…" she began, trying to pull him from this sober state of thought.

"What was the hardest part?" he asked suddenly, stopping her in her tracks.

"The hardest part?"

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah."

Rukia was a little confused that he would ask her the question, but she wouldn't deny him an answer, "I suppose… Kaien…" she knew she would have to explain this sometime, but it was still too fresh to be spoken of plainly, Rukia squeezed her eyes shut to keep any tears from falling.

Ichigo's mouth fell open a little, the he bowed his head, "I'm sorry, Rukia…" He knew about Kaien. How close Rukia had been to her old Lieutenant. He regretted asking the second he saw pain in her eyes.

She shook her head, smiling a little, "It's fine."

He could have sighed in relief. He needed everything to be fine today. He doubted he could take anymore pain this moment. Though he doubted he could feel any pain worse than he did on that day…

_It was like a blip on a radar. Ichigo hadn't realised just how carefully he had been watching that blip…_

_Until it faded, and disappeared._

_He hadn't noticed himself stopping. His eyes widened in__ disbelief, "Rukia…?!"_

_Then__** he**__ came._

"_Where are you going?"_

"_To save Rukia."_

"_Kuchiki Rukia is dead."_

No blade would _ever_ cut deeper than those words had.

But after…

_When he faced that army, it seemed all hope was lost._

_Exequias. Lots of them, and all they wanted was to see him dead._

"_Damn it! Just how many of you are there?!" The words had just left Ichigo's lips when the shrill sound of a zanpakuto's release blessed his ears._

"_Zabimaru!"_

_Ichigo watched in disbelief as Renji and Chad appeared to help him._

_A surprise attacker came up behind him. It could have been an easy kill for the enemy, except…_

"_Hakuren!"_

_That voice. That voice that he was sure he'd never hear again…_

"_Rukia!"_

_Then she spoke words that he had forgotten… until now._

"_Ichigo! Save the reunion for later!"_

They had made their way into the park, and Rukia watched him warily as he gazed off in thought.

"Ahh… Ichigo?" her curiosity had finally gotten the better of her, "Something on your mind?"

He blinked, and his gaze returned to the present as he looked down at his partner, "Just thinking…"

There was something in the way he was watching her; that made her wonder if the next question she had was a safe one. But this was Ichigo, and she always felt safe with him for some reason. So she dared to ask,

"Thinking about what?"

He stopped in his tracks and Rukia turned round to look back at him. His expression took her by surprise, he truly looked on with the most whole, sparkling eyes she had ever seen, "You scared me. You terrified me." His voice was low, strained. He laughed a little coldly, "When I couldn't feel you there anymore… I wasn't able to breathe. I thought I'd never get to see you again, to apologise for being such an idiot. I thought… I'd never get the chance to hold you…"

Her eyes widened in shock, "Ichigo…"

He came closer, close enough for her to feel the heat from his body, to feel his breath on her face as he looked into her eyes. A smile came to his face as he continued, "Then, when I saw you again. You have no idea how desperately I wanted to just forget…" he trailed off, losing himself in her gaze.

"Forget w-what, Ichigo?" Rukia was surprised by just how soft her voice sounded. He really was having a severe effect on her. _Does he even realise?_

He didn't respond right away, and she gasped as he brought his hand up to touch her cheek. He felt so warm, it was all in her power not to lean into his touch, but she wouldn't look away from his eyes. She couldn't. He trailed his finger across her jaw line, "Everything. The war… Aizen. At that moment… all I wanted to do was take you in my arms and run. Never looking back."

"Ichigo…" she couldn't believe his words. They were so surreal. He was trying to tell her this… but…

She couldn't say anymore though. At that he wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her against him as he pressed his lips down on hers. Rukia's eyes widened and she tensed against all her will.

_Ichigo… This can't happen… This can't…_

**You want this…**

_If you do this… Ichigo will die for you… maybe not today, but someday!_

**You need this!**

Her mind fought out her options, and Ichigo's life won. She felt her body move without proper command, pushing against Ichigo's chest; putting space between them. She didn't have to push very long however. Ichigo quickly took a step back, she met his gaze. He looked surprised, confused…

Hurt.

"Ichigo…" she stammered, trying to clear her thoughts from just how good it had felt to be in his arms. Trying not to think about his scent, his taste, how warm he felt, "We can't… we can't…" she ignored the tear that rolled down her cheek at that moment.

Her eyes flashed back to the agonised look on his face for a split second, and even that was too much. Without another word Rukia ran off through the trees. Ichigo stood there, not moving an inch.

* * *

The steps where she sat were stained by the frequent tears that fell from her cheeks. She couldn't get the image of his broken, hurt face from her mind.

_He'll thank me… One day…__ When he's married to a beautiful human woman, and has a kid with those eyes of his…He'll thank me…_

She didn't believe a word of it. She didn't _want_ to believe a word of it.

"Ichigo… I'm so sorry…" her body shook as tears streamed from her eyes, "So sorry…"

"Then why?"

A gasp broke through her sobs. She twisted rapidly to see Ichigo standing behind her. He wasn't angry, and his face didn't show as much hurt as before. He just looked… confused.

He had a right to that look.

"Because we can't be together Ichigo!" her own pain was getting the better of her, and she couldn't seem to stop crying, "You save me! You can't help but risk your life to help us, Ichigo! If you died for me— and don't say it can't happen— I couldn't… I'd…"

She didn't watch— blinded by her own tears— as Ichigo took a seat on the step beside her. He wrapped an arm around her shoulder, though in no way was he trying to force her to change what she had just said; to change her mind. As far as the orange-haired teen thought, Rukia needed to be comforted, and he'd do anything not to see her in pain. He did not however expect the Shinigami beside him to dive into his chest, clinging to his shirt as she sobbed.

_I can't make her__… I can't make her feel for me like I do for her._

He began to rub circles on her back, rocking her as he would a child, "Shh… It's okay, Rukia." He didn't believe a word out of his mouth, but he hoped she did.

She shocked him by the power she put behind her next words, "I want it, Ichigo! Never doubt that! But… we can't… this, us, my love for you… it's impossible!"

He froze.

_Love?_

_She loves me?_

Something seemed to lift inside him. All worry, anxiety, pain, regret…

Vanished.

She loved him!

"Rukia…" his voice was filled with all the positivity he could muster; he prayed he could make her understand, "I _live_ for the impossible!" He planted a small kiss on the top of her head, he whispered softly in her ear, "I live for you…"

She pulled away from his chest, directly meeting his gaze now, not daring to look away. And she saw it…

Her future.

In the eyes of the man who gave her a life.

His thumb was on her cheek now, brushing away her tears. She held his hand there as she leaned up, brushing her lips against Ichigo's before pulling away. When he opened his eyes, they held the purest emotions.

Joy…

Relief…

Love.

He tightened his grip around Rukia, pulling her against him as he crashed his lips against hers once more. She didn't fight this time. She owed him everything, and all he wanted was her. She would never deny him. She could never want to. This man… was her everything.

_Save the reunions for later, Ichigo…_

The sun began to set over Karakura town that winter's eve, and though it was the end of another day…

It was the beginning of a relationship that would make a mark on two very different worlds…

On eternity.

* * *

**A/N: **_I did this under a friend's request, just to see how it's turn out. Hope You liked it Missus! _

_Hmmm I missed writing IchiRuki fics! The manga is depressing for us IchiRuki fans, hehe. They're never together!  
That said; I cannot wait for the movie to come out subbed! ^^_

_I hope this was worth reading, and that I didn't wast anybody's time!  
If you liked it, please review!  
Thanks,  
Kami 3_


	9. Vows

Vows

"I'm very impressed by your wise decision, Rukia. You are well aware of just how much this benefits our families. To be joined with the Hiroyuki family would end any of the feuds that have been brimming over the past number of decades."

Kuchiki Byakuya's voice echoed through the grand hall of the Kuchiki mansion, but his words fell on deaf ears as Ichigo glared murderously at the man, while Rukia nodded weakly to whatever her brother said. "I understand."

A new tone came to Byakuya's voice as he continued, "I hope, however, that you are not only following the wishes of others… but that you are following your heart as well."

Ichigo scoffed; his expression furious. At this unapproved motion Rukia had to turn around and face the orange-haired teen. His hardened scowl faded the minute he met her gaze; her weak, defeated eyes held more sorrow than he believed possible, "Ichigo…" she shook her head slowly, pleading with her eyes that he might stay peaceful.

"No, Rukia! I don't even know why you brought _me_ along! This is the _single _most _stupid_ thing you've ever done in your life! And you've stared death in the face…"

His eyes only mirrored hers as he finished that sentence. They were empty; hidden behind the walls he had built up so she would not know his pain.

He had to look away when the eyes he had been staring down turned watery. In a well practiced voice she spoke the next line, "This is necessary, Ichigo."

In a voice completely in contrast to hers Ichigo almost bellowed, "Fuck it, Rukia! Who _cares_ about these family feuds! It's _your_ life and _your _choice to marry this guy… a guy you don't even know…"

She had taken a step back, not daring to meet his gaze, "Ichigo…"

Said boy turned on heel, his back to her as he spoke again, "It's your choice, Rukia… that's what kills me…"

Before she could look back at him, her friend, her Nakama, and so much more… had ran from the house.

"Ichigo…"

* * *

He watched as ripples distorted his reflection in the stream of water. No matter how jumbled though, his scowl was obvious. Ichigo continued to sit there, in silent misery… thinking…

_It was a Saturday morning. He and Rukia had been chasing Hollows all the night before. When they had arrived home at around 5am, Ichigo decided it was far too late for Rukia to sneak back into his sisters' room without arousing suspicion._

_She would have to sleep in his room. On opening the closet Rukia had discovered that, due to the unusually cold summer's night, his sisters had taken the extra blankets from his closet to wrap themselves up._

"_Ichigo…" Rukia sounded frantic. She wasn't fond of freezing her butt off, and she was really tired._

_Said boy took a fleeting glance at the empty closet and shrugged, "Guess you'll have to sleep in my bed then…"_

_Her eyes widened easily to the size of dinner plates as she stared at the boy already half asleep in his bed, "Ichigo! Are you nuts?!"_

_Ichigo responded by shuffling over and folding back the blankets, "Just get in. And be quiet, I'm already exhausted." She did however notice a hint of a blush staining the teen's cheeks._

_A smile tugged at the corners of her lips as she padded across the floor, coming to a halt at the end of his bed, "Alright, but no funny business." She teased, noticing how his eyes had immediately shot open._

"_What?!" he hissed._

_The raven-haired girl could only laugh as she finally settled herself on the bed, her back to Ichigo as she cuddled a pillow, "Goodnight, Ichigo."_

_He stifled a yawn, "G'night, Rukia."_

_At around 5:45am, when she was finally in a deep sleep, Rukia began to move. Something extremely cold made its way to Ichigo's shin, causing the orange-haired teen to gasp and jolt slightly, "What the hell was that?!"_

_But she made no response. Curiosity got the better of him, and Ichigo edged slightly closer to the girl in his bed. She was shaking, though not in an obvious way. But she was shaking._

_When he reached his leg out again, he realised that the cold object had been her small foot. '_She must be freezing…'

_Without proper thought, Ichigo wrapped one arm around her slim waist, pulling her back carefully against his chest. He was shocked by how she responded. Rukia's legs seemed to suddenly find his as she began to rub them against his own._

_He ignored the tightening feeling in his stomach, and tried to merely be relieved that she was slowly warming up._

_Then _it_ happened._

"_Ichigo…"_

_Said boy froze, afraid to open his eyes. Was she angry? Upset? Ready to kill? _

_He waited for her next words to understand, but she just sighed and cuddled closer to him. "Ichigo…"_

_Ichigo's eyes had widened, and he wasn't blushing slightly. She had said his name. What did that mean? What kind of dream was she having?_

_He didn't understand where his daring side had come from, but he soon leaned closer; his lips against her ear as he whispered, "Yes Rukia?"_

_He watched, mesmerized, as her lips came into a smile. His heart had moved to his throat as she then rolled to her other side so she now faced his chest._

"_I love you…"_

He shook his head, ridding his mind of that thought. When he had woken up, she was already gone, a note left on his desk for him.

In it she explained she had received a letter that morning; that her brother had arranged that she marry a man of nobility, in order to unite two great families and promote bonds. Rukia felt that she had no choice but to attend… no, that's not how she said it, but Ichigo knew. She had specifically written 'It is my duty.'

That was enough.

She had then requested something that would break him. She asked him to attend the wedding. She asked him for support.

How could he do that?! How could he hope to stand close by while she tells some stranger the same three words she had whispered the night before to him.

_It was a dream, Kurosaki. Those words probably weren't for you anyway._

He knew it was most likely true, but he didn't want to believe it. He didn't want to think it after hearing her had made him feel the way he did. He couldn't describe how he had felt. How his stomach suddenly felt lighter, his eyes suddenly seemed to only focus on her.

He could have kicked himself when he remembered his reply.

"How could I have been so _stupid_?!"

"Ichigo?" her voice sent shivers down his spine, she had found him, and he found himself involuntarily straightening before he turned around, "What now, Rukia?"

His tone had taken her by surprise. Not because he was angry, but he sounded… defeated… the way _she_ felt, "I'm… I just came to apologise…"

He furrowed his brow in response, "Apologise? What for?" Great. Ichigo was being sincere. There wasn't a trace of sarcasm in his voice, and that killed.

She swallowed before continuing, "Sorry for… everything."

They met each other's gaze and she refused to look away, "C-can I sit down?"

Those eyes held more emotion than he was willing to let on, she knew it. His walls, barriers, she knew them all. She also knew how to break them… but she wouldn't. Not yet. Not until she earned the right to have him speak to her, from the heart. He shrugged and she took it as all the invitation she would get.

"So… I saw the man I'm to marry…"

She swore she had noticed him tense. He cleared his throat quietly; "Really?" his voice was like a dagger, slowly piercing her heart. He was angry with her for her decision, mad that she would agree to this. But what other choice did she have?

She nodded, "Uh-huh, he seems nice. A little formal, but nice."

Ichigo scoffed, and she was completely taken aback as he spoke out, "Rukia, you don't _do_ nice." A small smirk graced his face for just a second, but he seemed to remember where he was, and it was gone again.

"Ichigo…" she began.

"Look, Rukia. I'm not gonna lie to you. I'm pissed as hell with what you're doing. I'm sitting here thinking about how I risked my _ass_ to save you, and _this_ is how you live on your life! Marrying a man you don't love, living a life you don't wanna lead…" he muttered something else under his breath, but Rukia didn't catch it.

Her head hung in shame, "I'm sorry. I see how selfish I've been to you… to Inoue, Chad, Ishida and everybody else that came to save me." Ichigo was startled when her fist hit the ground, her body was shaking now and all he could do was watch, "I can't please everybody… all I want is for you to all be happy. But I'm always hurting _someone_!"

He was mad, he knew that. But he couldn't watch her weep like this. Tears had fallen from her eyes, streams forming along her smooth, pale cheeks. He wanted nothing more than to kiss them away, but…

She gasped when a strong arm wrapped around her, pulling her closer to him as she cried against Ichigo's chest, "Rukia… we're happy… as long as you're happy…"

It wasn't a lie. He knew she wasn't happy with this man, and thus he would never be happy with the result, but she didn't need to know the details behind his words. She just needed to find comfort.

"I need you Ichigo…"

He suddenly found his gaze meeting hers as his eyes widened somewhat, "What, Rukia?"

She wiped her eyes with the back of her sleeve, never losing his gaze as she spoke again, "I need you. You've been with me for so long… I… I can't see myself doing something this important without you there… to help me." She had added the last part, though she didn't want to. She had always imagined him there; helping her by pulling back her veil, making heart wrenching vows of everlasting love, kissing her to signify that it was all over.

In the weddings that she saw… he only had one position to fill.

He was the Groom.

She tried not to remember the dream she had experienced the night before. Another wedding, surrounded by friends and family. He had said he loved her. Even in her dreams he mesmerized her with his voice, his movements, his looks…

"Rukia… I don't want to be there."

Those words burned like the flames of hell. He didn't want to be there… he wasn't going to pull her through this…

He continued, "I don't want to… but I will. Because you usually come before my own preferences… but Rukia… please don't make me do much more than be there. I really don't want anything to do with this."

She nodded, "Thank you, Ichigo."

* * *

It seemed like he had cheered up. Ichigo was making sly remarks about food for the reception; he agreed to accompany her to pick music, food, everything except the dress. He plainly stated that he'd rather 'wait for the surprise', though he didn't seem all too excited.

Yes, Ichigo seemed pretty okay after their conversation before, to everyone that wasn't Rukia. She knew something was still troubling him… a lot. But he didn't seem willing to open up.

Rukia heard her Soul Pager buzz and quickly withdrew it from her pocket. She read the message and couldn't help but smile, "Oh, Ichigo! I've found place for the wedding! There's an opening at the Lotus Temple. I've always loved that Temple! It's the single most beautiful place in this world."

Ichigo nodded; a small smile on his face to be polite while he listened to her description of the place that he was most definitely going to hate anyway. Simply because _she_ would be married there.

"Oh! I can't describe it properly! They wanted me to check in there anyway. Come on, I'll show you."

Great…

Ichigo shrugged, both turning around and heading back in the Temple's direction.

When they did arrive, though Ichigo was right in saying he'd hate it, he couldn't deny it was beautiful.

As its name suggested; it looked like a lotus. The temple sat atop a shallow lake; a bridge connected it to the mainland. The building itself was beautiful its walls crystallized. Like a rosy crystal it shimmered in the light. Inside was bright and spacious. There were rows of seats, and a variety of various flowers fliied the room with their scent. It looked like the kind of place Ichigo could see them…

_Stop it!_

He would forbid these thoughts. He no longer wanted to ruin Rukia's day. He didn't have the strength in him anymore.

He noticed Rukia was now talking to a man dressed in traditional robes. He assumed this man to be the cleric.

"Oh, Ichigo," She beckoned him over. When he reached the two Rukia introduced the man as Kawate Enya.

"Kurosaki Ichigo," he held out his hand which the man took.

"Of course I know you Kurosaki-san. I had been expecting to see you two walk through these doors together for some time. Since you rescued Kuchiki-san from her execution. It took longer for you two to get together than I imagined."

Ichigo couldn't help but let his jaw drop, and Rukia couldn't hide her blush as she explained that Ichigo was the Best Man of sorts. She then explained the arranged wedding, much to the disgruntlement of both males.

"I see…" his frown could almost match Ichigo's after hearing her story. Though he soon straightened up, "Well… if you believe it's right, then so be it. I need to get some paper work for you to sign, but I'll be right out. Have you your vows ready, Lady Kuchiki?"

Rukia seemed taken aback by the question, "Uhh, vows?" a light bulb went off in her head, "Oh, no… I haven't decided yet."

The man nodded, "Well, you'll have to think about something. Ponder it while I get the things together. I'm sure Kurosaki-san can help you."

Rukia rolled her eyes, "It's what he's here for."

Once he had left Ichigo let out a scoff that caused Rukia to twirl round and face him, "What?" she demanded.

"How can you _not_ know what to say?" he replied, his tone unimpressed.

She stiffened, "W-well… it's not like I _planned _this."

Her retort was weak, though she had a point, and Ichigo rolled his eyes, "It's not like you love him either. So it shouldn't be hard to make up a few false vows for your false husband."

"He is _not_ false!"

"Do you love him?"

His question had caught her off-guard, not only that, but the way he said it. It was almost as if… he needed to be sure, "I-I _could _love him." It was all she could say in honesty.

His relief was obvious, but the pained expression more so.

Wanting to change the subject, Rukia retorted, "And what gives you the right to demean me! It's not like you could make up a bunch of vows on the spot!"

A small spark seemed to return to Ichigo's eyes as he met her gaze, "Is that a challenge?" he spoke in a low, daring voice that sent shivers down her spine.

Her own eyes narrowed, and in her best school-girl voice she replied, "But of course."

She hadn't expected his next move. Within seconds Ichigo stood before her, and she could no longer look away from his gaze. It was soft, kind, caring. All the things she needed it to be.

"Rukia…" his voice; so velvety and smooth. The way he said her name seemed to caress her. His expression was thoughtful, only for a second. Then he spoke again, "I see death everywhere… since the day I was born. All I've ever wanted to do was to protect everybody I could; my family, my friends. I was never strong enough, and I lost someone very dear to me as a result."

His words, they were pure, and she hung on every line that came from his lips. Feeling all the pain and the emotion that he spoke with; not leaving his gaze. He surprised her then by taking her hand, "Rukia, they say you can search forever and never find love. Imagine my surprise when the woman I would cherish the most for the rest of my life found me. You gave me strength. The strength I needed to protect the ones I care the most for. The strength to fulfil the promises I had made so many times.

"Now, my beloved Rukia, let me make a promise to you. I promise to hold you in love and never let you go, even on those days when your little midget butt gets on my last nerves. I promise to protect you, to place my life in front of yours. Because without you… I would seize to exist."

There was a long pause after that. He had closed his eyes for a lot of what he had said. And when he opened them again, he was shocked to see Rukia's tear filled eyes staring back at him.

"Rukia?"

She tore her hand from his, "You jerk!" she snapped.

"What the hell, Rukia?!" his voice was raised now, though he was only shouting to hide how raw he still felt. He had just laid his heart on the line, and this was her response?

Her glare only intensified, "Those weren't just _any_ stupid vows! They were the most beautiful words I've ever heard in my life! Why did you have to go and say all that?!" she glared back at him, her anger drowned in her own bewildered expression.

He didn't know what to say. He didn't want to upset her anymore, to confuse her further by telling her the truth. Rukia only grew more frustrated by his silence, and before she knew it she had reached a hand out to slap him.

He caught her, grabbing her wrist and pulling her into his arms. She struggled against his hold, using all her strength to break away, but he wouldn't allow it, "Ichigo, let me-"

"Because I love you."

She froze, her face against his chest, her eyes wide, "W-what?"

Ichigo could have laughed, she was so easy to understand, "I said all that… because I mean it, Rukia. I love you, you idiot."

He let her move away, but kept a gentle hold on her arm, "And I know you love me too."

She gasped. He had known all along. He had known, and he loved her too. "Ichigo…"

She didn't know what else to tell him. Instead she hopped up into his waiting arms and crushed her lips against his. He took no time at all in responding, pulling her up off the ground. His arms winded around her waist as he pulled her as close to himself as was possible. Savouring every touch, every emotion at that moment.

She had found him. He would never let her go.

When they parted, Ichigo planted gentle kisses all over her face. He stopped; his voice gentle, "Please, Rukia… don't marry this guy… I'm not strong enough to let you go."

She placed a small kiss against his lips, hoping to reassure him, "Don't worry, Ichigo. Now that I have you… I'm not letting you go either." She paused, suddenly looking a little uneasy.

Ichigo bounced her a little in his arms, grabbing her attention once more, "What's wrong now?" he sounded a little worried, but he still couldn't hide the pure joy in his eyes.

Her voice was quiet, obviously anxious, "Well… I was a little worried about… how we're going to pass up this arranged marriage."

Ichigo stunned her by winking, and in the most godlike of voices he replied, "Leave that to me." With that he called for Kawate Enya. When the man appeared his expression was neither shocked, nor troubled by the position he found the two of them in, "Can I help you Kurosaki-san?"

Ichigo nodded, "Yeah. How are you with emergency, on the spot weddings?"

This caused the man to only grin wide, "I thought you'd never ask."

* * *

**A/N: **_Hope that was nice! I thought about it while I was in the car and messed around with the story for ages after, hehe!  
Anyway, enjoy and please Review!_

_Kami 3_


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